Monster? I'm A Hero
by Sephoria2
Summary: I have many names, but the one most people know me by is Ana. I have one mission. Just one. It's the reason why I was placed on this Earth. And no-one will stop me from accomplishing it. No sacrifice is too great or too small. It is after all, for the Greater Good. FemHarry/TomRiddle. Majorly AU!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**

**A/N - Whoa! this is my first ever fanfic, so i'm quite nervous. All criticism and ideas are welcome, however i would appreciate no flames. Rating subject to change. Will touch on abusive themes though not in any detail. It will be more tell than show. My Fem!Harry will be more of an OC. Possible lemons in the futures, though right now that seems unlikely. If any of the above disturbs you, then i suggest you continue no further. I hope you enjoy the story and review!**

"_Speak__"_ – means they are speaking in German. j

**Prologue**

**Berlin, Germany 1931**

It was raining outside again, but she didn't care. She didn't care that her long blonde hair was soaked or that the rags they called clothes were sticking to her skin. She didn't care that she was shivering and her lips were turning blue. She just missed them so much; her mama, papa and grandmamma. She missed the warm nights they used to spend together, the sounds of their voices and gentle touches. Now, all she had left was the sharp pain of the metal rod hitting her small body and the harsh shouts and insults of Madam Bach, the Matron of the orphanage she called home for 2 years. They thought her a freak, because she _saw _things and could _do _things. It wasn't her fault they weren't gifted like she was. She remembered her grandmamma saying how special and strong she was and how she never saw as clearly as I did. They were all dead now and there was no one to protect her from the cruelty of these strangers that pretended to care.

They didn't care either, the people walking by; glancing at the four year old sitting alone on the side of the street. Not one had stopped to offer her help, a warm coat or some money for a piece of bread. Not one had even bothered to give her a second glance; their eyes would slide over her like she wasn't there. Except his. The strange man that had been staring at her for the past half an hour. The strange man that everyone seemed to overlook. It was odd she thought; for them not to see him when he was _so_ un-overlookable. His shoulder length blonde hair and angular face was striking; he was a very handsome man. She knew from the way the rain seemed to bounce off of him that he was magical, a wizard like her father. She had noticed him on her daily rounds of pick-pocketing and he had noticed her, noticing him.

She watched him move to sit at a bench and smile at her, silently inviting her to sit with him. Moving towards him with slow heavy steps, she climbed up onto the bench, immediately noticing that it was dry and warm there, she was grateful for the reprieve against the harsh winter conditions of Berlin.

"_It is a strange occurrence to find a witch as young as you, alone in muggle_ Berlin" the man spoke suddenly, breaking the cushion of silence that had encased them for a few minutes.

"_Stranger things have_ happened" she replied, licking her lips nervously. Glancing at him, she watched him turn to her and smile, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"_You are as amusing as you are beautiful, young one. Where are your guardians?"_

"Around" she said, on the defensive. There was something different about this man, she could sense it. She had long ago been forced to learn to rely on her intuition, it was rarely wrong. Something she knew she had inherited from her family.

"_They don't seem to be around"_ he replied mockingly, an arch to his pale eyebrows. She got up to leave, already bored of his games. She was tired and hungry and although she knew that waiting for her back at the orphanage was another beating, she would go back as she did every day.

"_Come home with me child"_ he said abruptly, something strange seeping into his voice as he whispered the words.

"_Why should I?"_ she snipped back as she paused.

"_It is obvious you are not being treated as you should"_ he said, gesturing to her rags. _"I see a desperation in you, child; an anger almost. I can help you destroy them; the ones that hurt you. I can make you so strong child, if only you believe and trust in me"_ his voice rising with urgency with ever sentence spoken.

"_And if I don't?"_

"_Then you can go back and hope a better offer comes your_ way" he answered, staring into her eyes with an uncomfortable amount of intensity.

"_Why me?"_

"_Why not?"_ he countered quickly, a smirk playing on his cupid bow lips. He knew she would come with him, he knew only too well the hunger and anger that burned inside her. She was too young to understand the full force of her feelings, but when she did, he would be there to mold her as he desired.

"_Where will you take me?"_ she questioned, trying to ignore the hopefulness that bloomed inside her chest. He would change her life, she knew. The pressure building at the back of her head practically confirmed it.

"_Munich, my lovely; to my castle where you'll be respected and awed. You'll become strong and powerful, as long as you follow my lead. There will be hard work and you will have to prove yourself my dear, but I have no doubt that you will take to it like a duck to water"_ he answered.

"_You'll not hurt me?"_ she whispered, looking up into his deep blues.

"_I will not lie; there will be hurt my dear. But for the Greater Good, this pain will become so insignificant you will celebrate it. Live for it even" _he whispered seductively.

"_I want to be strong"_ she said, captivated by the dream he had spun.

"_I will make you strong"_he promised, "_Come with me."_

"Ok" she whispered biting her lip. She smiled hopefully up at this man that promised her the world. A world where she wouldn't be stepped on and beaten. A world where she held all the power. A world where she could shine. Taking his out-stretched hand, they stood together watching the muggles walk pass them oblivious.

"_Your name child?"_he asked, smiling down at her.

"_Thalia, Thalia Hart."_

"_Well Thalia, my name is Gellert Grindelwald. But you, my child, can call me Daddy."_


	2. Chapter 1 - Complications

_**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**Here's the first official chapter of Monster? I'm A Hero. I hope you like it and review! Please forgive any mistakes as i have no beta. **  
_

* * *

_Thoughts_ – thoughts/talking in the mind.

**Chapter 1- Complications**

**London, King's Cross / Hogwarts, Scotland – September 1****st**** 1944**

She had hoped the hustle and bustle of King's Cross station would have quietened as she stepped onto platform 9 and ³⁄₄, but if anything, the chaos had increased. The screeching of the owls; the screaming, crying, chattering of the families and students alike and finally, the smoke and absurdly loud horn of the gleaming red Hogwarts Express. This place was already giving her a headache and she had only been on the platform for 5 minutes. She had gotten used to the quiet and calm of country life, and didn't find the disorder and confusion of the city pleasant at all. Sighing and taking a swig of her specially brewed headache potion, she wriggled and shimmied her way through the throng of people until she reached the Express. Groaning internally, she jumped onto the train and proceeded to try and pull her trunk onto the train with her. Trying and failing she was momentarily stunned when her trunk was lifted and placed next to her. Looking up she was faced with an older boy with crazy black hair.

"Thought you could do with some help" the boy said winking. Feeling the heat rush to her face, she dropped her gaze submissively. She tugged on her ratty and old robes subconsciously; she was sure she looked like a dirty street urchin next to this boy who was obviously wearing expensive robes.

"Thank you" she mumbled, shuffling her feet awkwardly.

"Does a beauty like you have a name?" he said, flashing a bright grin at her.

"It's Anastasia, but I go by Ana" she replied after a long second, tucking a strand of curly black hair behind her ear covering up her subtle movement to try and calm the mane that she was forced to call hair.

"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Ana, my name's James" he said, giving a mocking bow causing her to giggle. Just as she was about to reply, a lanky black haired, grey eyed youth bounded up to them, clapping James hard on the back.

"Oi, there you are. Come on, we still might have enough time to piss off Peter's mum before the train leaves" the grey eyed youth said grinning.

"I was just helping Ana with her trunk, Sirius" James explained, laughing slightly. Sirius turned and looked her up and down, finally noticing she was there. Ana could feel her blush deepen as his eyes hovered on certain _**assets**._

"I haven't seen you around here before" he said frowning, once again looking her up and down.

"I'm new" Ana replied softly, glancing away from him quickly.

"Oh" was all he said before turning back to James, obviously dismissing her. He had made it quite clear with his actions that she wasn't his type and that nor should she be James'. "Come on James, the train's gonna leave soon" he insisted before dragging James back onto the platform and into the crowd. Ana stared after them for a couple of minutes; feeling oddly humiliated and embarrassed. Slumping forward slightly, she turned to find an empty compartment.

* * *

Ana found a compartment easily enough; she had managed to hike her trunk up onto the rail above and take out her sketchpad before settling down in her seat and watching the families on the platform. She had long ago learned not to yearn for the family she had always wanted, it brought her nothing but pain and punishment. The train gave its warning whistle and slowly began to pull away from the platform. Ana turned to her sketchbook when the door to her compartment burst open, causing her to jump. Two boys tumbled into the compartment, coming to an abrupt halt when they spotted her. One of them was a lanky ginger with more freckles than one would dare to count and the other was a slightly chubby brown haired boy. These two were shortly joined by a bushy haired girl. She stepped past them, frowning when she saw the room was occupied.

"Do you mind if we join you, everywhere else is full?" the girl said when it became clear none of the boys were going to ask. A bit startled, Ana gestured for them to sit down. "This is Neville" she said pointing to the brown haired boy, "Ron" gesturing to the ginger "and I'm Hermione" she finished.

"Ana" she replied quietly to the unspoken question, subtly leaning away from Ron who had plonked himself down a little too close to her.

"You're new" Ron stated bluntly, making Ana flinch. She hated being the new one and the attention that came with it.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished, clearly embarrassed by his behaviour.

"What?" he said, before turning round to stare at her once again.

"Erm...yeah I'm new. I transferred from my old school" Ana said, tilting her head down slightly. She hoped her hair would provide enough of a shield against his unabashed staring.

"Ooh, what school?" Hermione said eagerly, leaning forward in her seat.

"Just a small private school in Belgium, I'm sure you've never heard of it" Ana replied wide eyed. She was slightly repulsed by Hermione's eagerness. She was a private person by nature and Hermione seemed like the type to pry.

"Belgium!" Ron cried out. "You don't sound like you're from Belgium"

"Oh and I suppose you've met loads of people from Belgium" Hermione snapped, eyebrows rising.

"Well no, but still" Ron exclaimed, turning his gaze back to Ana, awaiting an explanation.

"I've been living here with my Uncle over summer, so I guess my accent's faded a little" she replied meekly.

"Why are you here, going to Hogwarts then?"

"Ron!" Hermione nearly shouted, appalled at his bluntness and rudeness.

"What?" Ron replied, annoyance colouring his voice, "It's just a question."

"I can't go back to my old school" Ana said frowning. She didn't want to be reminded of the reason why she was being forced to turn to Hogwarts instead.

"Why?" Hermione pushed, oblivious or choosing to ignore Ana's obvious discomfort.

"I'd rather not say if you don't mind" she said, turning away from the group and looking out the window.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad" Ron insisted, "Did you set the school on fire or something? Cause that would be so cool!"

"No it wouldn't! That's so dangerous, not to mention irresponsible and stupid" Hermione exploded, indignation coating her words.

"Oh shut up Hermione! You always have to be such a goody-goody don't you" Ron nearly shouted back.

"I'm not a goody-"

"My parents were killed in the muggle war, so I can't go back. There's no one to go back to" Ana stated, cutting through their bickering and leaving a cold silence behind. Their arguing was aggravating her headache and she knew they wouldn't stop until she said something. Both Hermione and Ron slumped back in their seats red faced. The silence hung heavy and tense between the four of them. Ana returned to staring out the window and clutched her sketchpad close to her chest. _They don't care. They don't understand what it's like to be me, to see the things I've seen_ she thought angrily.

"You have the strangest eyes I've ever seen" Neville suddenly blurted out, speaking for the first time. Judging by the redness of his round face and the sheen of sweat that suddenly appeared on his brow, he hadn't meant to voice that thought. Ana refused to even look at him, let alone respond to what he said. She hated how noticeable her eyes were; her pale green orbs were different and different usually freaked people out. Not to mention that if they were a dull brown it would make it harder for _**Him**_ to find her. She would be able to blend in so much easier. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Ana cracked open her pad and immersed herself in drawing anything she saw. She heard the others start to talk again after a few more awkward minutes but chose to keep out of the conversation. They ignored her and she ignored them.

* * *

Ana stepped off the train and followed the crowd of students towards the carriages. She wasn't best pleased about having to leave her trunk behind, but she was unable to shrink it and bring it with her; not with Hermione's hawk like eyes watching her every movement. Finally catching sight of the carriages, Ana felt her mouth tighten into a thin line. _What kind of school allows their students to be transported around by creatures that are deemed omens of death_ she thought incredulously; ignoring the black beasts. She didn't want to bring any more attention upon herself. Managing to grab a carriage with a group of second years, Ana settled into her seat preparing for the second most important performance of her life.

* * *

Climbing the stairs to Hogwarts' entrance hall, Ana's attention was quickly caught by someone calling her name.

"Miss Harrow? Miss Harrow!"

Turning round, Ana was confronted by a tall woman with greying hair that was pulled back into the most severe bun she had ever seen.

"Yes" she replied cautiously. This woman reminded her of an un-mated dragon i.e. fierce, sad and lonely; knowing she was nearing the end of her time and having nothing to show for it.

"My name is Professor McGonagall. I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and I will be your Transfiguration professor for the duration of your stay here. Headmaster Dumbledore has informed me that he thought best you be sorted after the first years" she said, upper lip tight across her face. "Now if you could just wait in here" she said, practically pushing Ana into the antechamber next to the Great Hall. "I will fetch you when it's your turn" and with that she turned and left, closing the door sharply behind her.

Feeling like she had been snowballed by this woman, Ana turned to the wall she knew the antechamber and Great Hall shared and pressed her hands against it. She felt a tingle of magic run over her hands as she patiently watched part of the wall's colour slowly fade until it was crystal clear, like a window. This way she would be able to watch what was going on inside the hall but they wouldn't be able to see her.

The first thing she noticed was the long tables that housed the students. She knew what each of them were; Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Her aim was to get into Ravenclaw; there she would be left alone to fade into the background of school life. Ana didn't want anyone to notice she was here, not until her plan was ready to be executed. The second thing she noticed was the jovial white haired man sat upon his throne watching the sorting of the first years. Albus Dumbledore. The smile on his face turned her stomach. She took a deep breath to steady herself, she put some of the blame of what happened to her at his feet; after all, he had helped to create _**Him.**_ The third thing she noticed was the man beside Dumbledore. He had deep dark black hair and the most piercing navy blue eyes she had ever seen. She felt her magic reach out to him, so much so that she found herself pressed up against the wall in an attempt to get closer. Pressure began to build in the back of head, hinting to her that this man would soon become important. Shaking off the feeling rigorously, she frowned once again. _This could complicate things_ she thought worriedly. He was stunningly handsome but she could afford no mistakes or distractions. She had a purpose on this Earth and she would accomplish it, no matter what. _Sacrifices must be made_. _My happiness is insignificant._

Dumbledore stood once the sorting had finished and gestured to McGonagall. Seeing this as her queue, Ana pulled her hands away from the wall, watching it instantly turn back to normal.

"Right Miss Harrow, if you could come this way please?" McGonagall said whilst opening the door to the antechamber. She took one glance at Ana before spinning on her heel and leaving. Ana scurried after the professor, feeling the pressure of hundreds of eyes on her as she entered the hall.

"As some of you can see, we have a new student. A transfer in fact! Miss Harrow joins us in the sixth year of her magical education from her home in Belgium. I do hope all of you will make her feel welcomed in Hogwarts for the duration of her stay" Dumbledore said to the student body. Turning his twinkling eyes onto her, he gestured for her to climb onto the stool. Gulping nervously Ana kept her head bowed, barely able to keep her eyes off the mysterious individual next to the Headmaster. His magic was affecting her far more than she was comfortable with. It was deliciously and surprisingly dark. Next to the horrendous brightness and acidity of Dumbledore's magic, it felt like an oasis in a desert. Making her way over to the stool, she stumbled over her dirty trainers, falling to her knees with a dull thud. Sniggering and chuckling rippled through the hall as the students delighted in her humiliation. Standing once again on shaky legs, Ana practically ran over to the stool and sat, ignoring the throbbing pain in her shins. She wrapped her aura tighter around her body and waited for the sorting hat to be placed on her head.

"_Right, what do we have here then?" _a male voice said. Ana immediately stiffened; if there was one thing she hated it was having her privacy invaded, and her mind was the most private place she had. She tightened her occlumency shields so the hat only had access to her surface thoughts and nothing else.

"_Put me in Ravenclaw"_ she thought back, hoping that would be the end of it.

"_Now see here child, I need to get a good look before I can sort you. Lower your shields please" _the Hat replied.

"_No" _Ana replied fiercely, "_and don't call me child."_

"_I can't sort you without-"_

"_Put me in Ravenclaw" _Ana interrupted, there was no way in hell she was letting him into her head. He was most likely tied to the Headmaster and Merlin knows what the Hat would tell him if he saw her memories.

"_If you don't let me inside, I'll be forced to get Lady Hogwarts involved."_ Stubbornly silent, Ana's first indication that the Hat was making good on its threat was the increasing pressure in her head. Ignoring it, thinking it was one of her _**headaches**_ she strengthened her shields. Once the pressure began to increase, she felt herself slump forward on the stool. She was vaguely aware of the whispering going on around her, but right now she was more focused on keeping this gigantic presence out of head. Feeling the blood start to trickle out her noise, she knew she wouldn't be able to keep the Lady out for much longer. With a strangled gasp she dropped her shield, only keeping it up around her deepest and darkest secrets. Feeling the Hat rummaging around in her head, the sense of violation nearly caused her to throw up. She hadn't felt this violated since _**that night**_.

With the Hat's retreat, she snapped her defences back into position and quickly cleared the blood from her face wandlessly. She could only hope that her wild black hair kept everyone from seeing her bloody nose. Before she could do much more than that, she heard the Hat shout out "SLYTHERIN!"

"_What are you doing?" _she shouted in her head, "_I said put me in Ravenclaw"_

"_Over my torn and tattered body. If I had my way you would be out of here faster than you could say Godric Gryffindor. You're a Monster. But since I don't have that power and my hands are tied when it comes to revealing student's thoughts, the Slytherin's will have to deal with the likes of you" _the Hat whispered back menacingly.

"_I'm no monster. I'm a Hero" _she chanted back, before the Hat was removed.

It was then that she finally took notice of the weighty silence in the Great Hall. It seemed like everyone was staring at her, all of them with their faces twisted into varying degrees of anger and hatred. Three quarters of the hall because she was a Slytherin and the other quarter because she was a muggleborn. She moved silently along the Slytherin table, hoping someone would open a space for her. No one did. All she was meet with was fury filled eyes and disgusted faces. The whispers of "disgusting little mudblood" and "disgrace to the House of Slytherin" told her all she needed to know. She eventually found a space at the end of the table near the door. A space she knew signified her new place at the bottom of the Slytherin food chain.

Ana could barely make out Dumbledore's words due to the pounding headache caused by the Hat, but the appearance of food on the table made it quite clear what he said. Taking another swig of the bottle in her robes she moved to get some food.

"_Now things are complicated" _she thought.

.


	3. Chapter 2 - Slytherin's Snake Pit

_**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**I hope you like it and review! Please forgive any mistakes as i have no beta.**_

_Thoughts_ – thoughts in the mind

_**Emphasis**_ – to emphasize some words

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Slytherin's Snake Pit**

The welcome feast seemed to drag on and on, or maybe that perception was due to the hostile stares drilling into her from nearly every corner of the Great Hall. Keeping her head down and focusing on her plate did nothing to dispel the hate filled glares. At one point during the dinner, when the stares seemed to become heavier than usual she glanced up, only to meet the stare of her mystery man. His deep navy eyes drilled into her pale green ones; anger and disgust the more predominate emotions swirling in his orbs. She flinched and looked away when she felt him come close to probing her mental shields. Slumping further into her seat, she watched the last remnants of desert disappear before switching her attention to Dumbledore.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now that we are all appropriately stuffed, I bid you farewell and sweet dreams" Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling madly. The benches groaned as all the students stood en masse; the sound vibrating through Ana's skull. She was shoved back and forth as she made her way out of the Hall, following the prefects that were showing the first years around. They entered the dungeons and the sudden darkness soothed Ana's pounding head, though it made more than one Slytherin first year stumble. They soon came upon a stretch of wall that pulsed slowly with magic. She could only assume that this was the doorway to their dorms.

"This is the entrance to the Slytherin common room. The password is Purus, that's pure in Latin for the _**under-educated**_ of you" the prefect said shooting her a look of disdain Ana swallowed the lump in her throat and shuffled in after the first years. The room was a large and narrow space, filled with three massive black granite fireplaces and hundreds of dark wood bookshelves. The couches and study tables were all made of the finest leather and silk, and the floor was covered in a plush black carpet. Overall the room was lavish but surprisingly dim, so dim in fact that it took her eyes a second to adjust. "First years stand by the fireplace, you have an introductory talk by our Head of House to look forward to" the prefect said, herding them over. "That means you too, mudblood scum" the prefect nearly shouted at Ana, causing her to jump, when she didn't move to stand with them.

Ana waited patiently behind the Slytherin first years trying and failing to make herself small enough to hide behind them. Even though she wasn't exactly tall herself, coming in around 5 ft 2, some of the first years were surprisingly short. She stuck out like a sore thumb here, nearly everyone wore expensive silk and velvet robes, their hair was perfectly styled and their arms, hands or necks were adorned in sparkling and flashy jewellery. Here she was standing in the middle of them in her old second hand robe and dirty tattered trainers; her wild black hair falling haphazardly over her eyes. The only piece of jewellery she wore was underneath her shirt, hidden away from prying eyes. The atmosphere was frigid and cold; tense with anticipation. The Slytherin common room door re-opened and in stepped her mystery man. His dark hair was swept to side slightly as if he had been in a hurry. Sighting her standing in the common room his attractive pale face contorted into a sneer. He walked with surprising grace despite being near enough 6 ft 2 tall. His movements were controlled and calculated; a predator covered in human skin no doubt. His dark and tangy magic washed over her, tasting and teasing her own magic. She tighten her hold on her aura, suppressing a shiver; for her plan to work everyone had to think she was weak and insignificant.

"The first thing I shall say is congratulations on being sorted into the most noble and prestigious house in Hogwarts, Slytherin. For those who don't know who I am, I am your Head of House, Lord Marvolo Slytherin. I will also be your Professor in Defence against the Dark Arts. The Slytherin prefects will be your first point of contact should you have any concerns or queries, although if they are unable to resolve the issue my office door is always open" the mystery man who she know knew as Lord Slytherin said. The silence that had befallen the room as soon as he opened his mouth impressed Ana. _I could appreciate a man that could silence a room like that_ she thought.

"As Slytherins you will be expected to act with poise, grace and dignity. There are those that will scorn you; jealous of your power and riches. But should you seek retaliation, do not get caught. I will not save you if you are stupid enough to do so!" he continued, pacing up and down like a caged lion. She was sure she heard more than one Slytherin girl sigh dreamily at the sight. "Any rule breaking individual will be punished severely. I do not tolerate incompetence or stupidity!" he finished, glaring at not only the first years but all the students presence in the common room.

"Any question?" he asked silkily after a minute. Seeing no one respond, he turned on his heel to leave.

"My Lord, if I may?" what looked like a lanky 6th year student asked somewhat timidly.

"Yes" Lord Slytherin practically hissed as he turned to the boy.

Gulping, the boy stood, puffing out his chest pompously and said, "what about the mudblood filth, my Lord? Surely the sorting hat made a mistake!"

Ana felt her face drain of colour, making her already pale skin tone turn a shade of ghastly white. Every eye in the room swiveled to focus on her, and Ana was once again drawn into a staring match with Lord Slytherin. This time though, she could not decipher the look in his dark navy blues.

"In regards to the situation pertaining Miss Harrow, the Headmaster has seen fit to override my decision for a resort, stating her sorting into Slytherin as final and absolute." Widespread muttering rippled through the common room as the students displayed their displeasure at the Headmaster's interference.

"Is there nothing you can do, my Lord?" a stunning blonde 7th year said. Her hair was so bright that it looked near enough white in the dim light of the common room.

"I'm afraid not Miss Black. Only the Headmaster can declare a resort, thought that is beside the point, the sorting hat refuses to resort her anyway." With those parting words, Lord Slytherin turned and left, leaving a deadly silence in his wake that lasted for an unexpectedly long time.

"You better watch yourself mudblood, if you're not careful you'll wake up to find your throat slashed during the night. We don't like filth around here" a wild black haired 7th year girl snarled. She was stunningly attractive, curvy in all the right places and with an aura of darkness that would draw in unsuspecting and stupid men.

"Come now, Bella. There's no need to scare the poor girl. I'm sure she'll learn to adapt sooner or later" the one Lord Slytherin called Miss Black said, leading Bella away to another group of students.

* * *

Ana lay awake on her bed in the 6th year dorms, waiting for her roommates to fall into a deep sleep. She shared a room with 3 other girls surprisingly. She would have thought that since their parents believed them to be so _**precious**_ and _**darling**_ that all the students would have demanded a room to themselves. _No_ _matter, I was hoping for some form of privacy but that problem is easily dealt with_ she thought. The three girls, Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode all made their feelings on sharing a room with _**the mudblood**_very clear, though Daphne was the most vocal.

Ana wouldn't be surprised if her screeching of "don't touch my stuff, mudblood" and "get away from me freak!" was heard on the other side of the castle.

She had retired to her room quickly after the debacle in the common room, first going to check on her luggage to ensure those pesky creatures that call themselves house elves didn't steal anything. She had had a lot of trouble with them when she was in Dubai and didn't trust them at all. They were devious creatures that looked for any kind of loophole around your commands. After checking that, she decided to unpack, taking in her room that would be her new home for however long she needed it to be. The room was a large rectangular shape with four large double sized beds in each corner. Each bed came with a long deep green draping curtain for privacy, a large wardrobe, desk and bookshelf. The window in the room faced onto a beautiful underwater view of the Black Lake and all its inhabitants. The room itself was decorated in varying shades of cream, green, silver and black giving an overall tasteful and feminine appearance.

Once she was sure her roommates were sound asleep, Ana slipped out of her bed silently. Walking over to her desk she picked up a piece of pure white chalk and proceeded to draw runes on the floor around the corner which she had 'designated' as her space. The runes glowed softly in the weak greenish glow given off by the lake and disappeared once she finished, letting her know the ward she placed was working. Satisfied her things and privacy would be protected she moved back to her bed, drawing the curtains around her again. Putting the necklace from under her shirt on the bed, she tapped the crystal enlarging it until it was the size of a large apple.

"Give me Leonardo" she commanded. The large white crystal glowed for a long second before it projected the picture of a young male with dark blonde hair and light brown eyes.

"You rang?" he drawled, his Italian accent heavily lacing in his voice.

"I've come upon some _**unexpected**_ complications" she said, her pale green eyes hardening and her demeanor shifting.

"Complications! You've been there less than 12 hours" he said incredulously. "What the fuck happened?"

"Don't give me that tone. Remember who you are speaking to" Ana said with steel in her voice. "First of all I was put into Slytherin instead of Ravenclaw as we planned for. Not too much of a problem, but it does set us back a couple of steps."

"How so?" Leonardo said in a more cautious tone of voice, noting Ana's less than hospitable attitude.

"It seems a muggleborn doesn't blend in well with the ultra precious purebloods of the English upper class. I offend them apparently" Ana replied, her pretty features twisting into an ugly sneer. "It will just take a little longer to melt into the background that's all."

"Why the call then? You seem to have everything under control" he said frowning.

"There's another complication. One that could prove to be more _**troublesome**_"

"Go on" he urged impatiently. He quickly changed his attitude when he noticed the narrowing of Ana's now ice cold eyes.

"It seems that Hogwarts pseudo entree test is to be sorted by a hat that looks into one's mind." Watching Leo's face pale, Ana was glad he understood the enormity of the situation.

"You were able to keep it out though, right?" Leo said with urgency. Ana's fluttering eyes told Leo all he need to know. "Dear sweet Merlin Ana! I knew this was a mistake. I knew this was too soon for you, I-"

"Are you trying to suggest I can't do this?" Ana said cutting him off, jaw set with fire in her eyes. The temperature in the room dropped rapidly causing the other three girls to shiver and curl up tighter under their covers. "Are you trying to suggest I'm not ready?"

"N-n-no" Leo stuttered, very aware of how pissed off she had become.

"I should hope not," Ana hissed. "We wouldn't want you to be...culled from our pack now, would we?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to suggest such a thing" he murmured softly.

"Indeed" she drawled in response, clearly not impressed. "I'm not stupid Leo, despite what you seem to think" she said, causing him to flinch in response. "I was able to use partial-occlumency to ensure it didn't get anything that would endanger our plans too much."

"Partial-occlumency?"

Ana sighed tiredly and said, "The act of shielding certain things in a memory. Like, blurring out someone's face, omitting the background from a memory or cutting off certain words in a conversation, that sort of thing. He got enough information to be wary, but certainly not enough to put me in Azkaban."

"I've never even heard of partial-occlumency and yet you've mastered it!"

"That's because I invented it, fool" she replied arrogantly.

"Figures" he huffed in response. "Are you sure it can't tell Dumbledore?"

"Reasonably, but I will check up on it just to be sure"

"Ok" Leo exhaled, "is that all then?"

"There is one more _**tiny**_ problem" she slipped in making him frown. "Do you know of a Lord Marvolo Slytherin?"

"Yes, of course" Leonardo said surprised, "don't you?" seeing her unimpressed look, he quickly continued. "Erm, well he's incredibly powerful in Britain and well known throughout Europe. I'm not sure how you haven't heard of him."

"I've been busy, as well you know" she snapped back. "Tell me all you know of him."

"Typical powerful British politician, though his leanings are _darker. _I wouldn't say he was overly anti-muggleborn those his major supports defiantly are. His claim to fame I suppose you could say, would be the Slytherin on the end of his name. He's the only true heir of the infamous founder of Hogwarts Salazar Slytherin, thus placing him on a near god-like status within the British Isles. His numerous medals and trophies in hundreds of different dueling tournaments all over the world, ensures that he is respected no matter where he goes. Why are you suddenly interested in him?"

"It seems that, he is unfortunately, my mate" she drawled with false calmness.

"Your soul mate!" Leonardo near shouted, his Italian accent distorting the words slightly.

"Yes, mind, body, soul and all that bullshit" she snapped with viciousness.

"How do you know?" he whispered shocked, a stark contrast to his previous shouting. He had known Ana since she was 12 and she could be an emotionless bitch at the best of times; for her to suddenly declare a soul mate...

"My magic reacts to him like no other. Plus I _**saw **_it"

"Well..., maybe it's meant to be like this. Maybe you're meant to find you soul-"

"Shut up, Leo! I'm here for one reason and one reason only. No distractions and defiantly no chasing happy fucking endings. Happy endings don't happen for people like me." The two remained silent for a while, neither knowing what to say.

"Is he going to be a problem?" Leo said.

"As long as I keep a tight rein on my magic I should be fine. But I want you to look into his past just in case. Look for anything _**dirty**_, I might need a bargaining tool in the future."

"Yes ma'am" Leo said, smirking slightly.

"You know, you don't have to call me that" she said, almost purring the words. Getting a cheeky wink in response, Ana smiled and rolled her eyes at his antics.

"I still think you should change your eye colour. Far to noticeable if you ask me" Leo said wiping the smile from Ana's face immediately.

"You know as well as I do why that's not possible" she said, barely suppressing her ire.

"Yes but-"

"No buts, Leo! You know it's difficult to maintain that; my family magic doesn't allow for my birth right to be hidden like that. I can't afford a slip up where my true eye colour bleeds through" Ana said, venom lacing her words. "Stop challenging me on this!"

"I'm apologise, my Lady. I did not think" Leo apologised quickly, eyes downcast. Getting nothing but a sneer in return, he sought to change the topic, thoroughly cowed by Ana's words. "Well considering I'm here, I suppose you want an update on _**his **_location". Seeing her gesture to continue, he said "last reports place him in Eastern Europe near Poland. We think he's picked up the fake trail you left and thus is moving towards the USSR."

"Good, I don't need to tell you to keep an eye on him, but make sure he sticks to that trail. Try and keep him preoccupied as well, I don't want him turning his focus onto Britain. I'm not ready yet."

"Yes ma'am"

"Get back to me when you have dirt on Slytherin. I trust you'll be able to handle that" Ana said, hanging up before Leo could reply. Sighing heavily, she tucked her necklace back under her shirt to recharge and lay down; her heavy eyelids fluttering closed.

_I guess in Slytherin's snake pit, everyone has to be a viper_ was her last thought before she drifted off.

* * *

A/N - Hope you guys liked it. Sorry for the long wait, but i had shit loads of deadlines for my degree last week. Review please! Constructive criticism welcome :-)


	4. Chapter 3 - Vultures They May Be

_**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**I hope you like it and review! Please forgive any mistakes as i have no beta.**__**Read and review guys!**_

_Thoughts_ – thoughts in the mind

_**Emphasis**_ – to emphasize some words

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Vultures They May Be**

Ana's first week in Hogwarts passed in a flurry of insults, stupidly easy classes and annoying headaches every time she so much as glanced at Professor Slytherin. The classes she had taken for her NEWT's were supposedly the hardest Hogwarts had to offer. She had hoped that taking Charms, Defence against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy would at least pose some sort of challenge, if not by the difficulty of the work then by at least the sheer amount of it. But alas, she had been breezing through the work at an almost insane rate. The stuff they were learning now she had memorised and could quote back in order of deadliness by the age of 7. And just as she predicted, most of the Slytherins took the approach of ignoring her and acting like she wasn't there. Save for the few times she would get in their way, which generally resulted in some vicious insult and dodging of curses, she was often left to her own devices. Besides being a bit bored, this did have its advantages; it left her with ample time to observe her fellow Slytherin housemates.

The first thing she took note of was the hierarchy that presented itself in the Slytherin House. There was a core group of 7th year students that were at the very top, close to Lord Slytherin himself and from the crème de la crème of the English upper class. The group consisted of Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Black, Severus Snape, Eleanor Rosier, Juliette Zabini, Rodolphus Lestrange and the almost constantly silent Edmund Nott. Strangely, although Snape was a half-blood, the fact that he was the heir of a prestigious pure blood family and was a prodigy in Potions placed him at the top with the others. Lucius was the alpha male of the group, while Narcissa was the alpha female; fitting considering they were to be wed in a few short years. Their group often swelled to include the 6th years, Rabastan Lestrange, brother to Rodolphus and Evan Rosier, brother to Eleanor. What Ana found truly fascinating was the relationship the group had with Narcissa's sister Bellatrix. Brought in by her sister, Bellatrix was often ignored and treated like the child of the group. Yet, although most other Slytherins were scared of the dark beauty, often calling her delusional and crazy behind her back, she was openly belittled by group members such as Severus and Rodolphus. It was strange and entertaining to watch, especially when she was bored.

The second thing she took note of was the general hierarchy in the school. There seemed to be a struggle of power between Lord Slytherin and Dumbledore. She had realised by reading a huge amount of Daily Prophets dating back three years, that Dumbledore and Slytherin were also hardcore adversaries in the political arena. Nearly every policy Slytherin proposed was counteracted by Dumbledore and vice versa. The two had serious issues with each other and it translated into the houses they represented. The tensions between Slytherin and Gryffindor were at an all time high; especially between what were deemed the 'leaders' of each house. Lucius, Narcissa, Severus, Juliette, Rodolphus, Bellatrix and Rabastan were at constant odds with James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Evans, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Ana found it slightly disconcerting to discover the pull Dumbledore and Slytherin had on the student population. If either one found about her, it would cause a plethora of problems and they each had enough students on their sides to make staying hidden a much tougher mission then she had previously thought.

What Ana found more disconcerting at the moment was the end of week meeting with Lord Slytherin himself. Apparently, after their first week at Hogwarts all first years would have a meeting with Slytherin to make sure that they were 'coping'. She was hoping it wouldn't include her since technically she was a sixth year and a '_**mudblood**_' but alas she had received a message for some arrogant snot nosed first year saying that Slytherin was expecting her this evening. So here she was, sitting on her bed with the curtains drawn idly listening to Daphne, Pansy and Millicent gossip about boys and bitch about girls. What really held her attention was the picture she had sketched in her pad the first day she arrived at Hogwarts. It was incomplete but its meaning was clear. The sketch showed her and Lord Slytherin walking arm in arm, heads held high, clearly about to attend an important event. She was wearing a flowing pale green gown, no doubt made that way to make her eyes stand out further, and her hair was piled on top of her head in some kind of intricate and elegant design. What really stuck with her was the fact that her hair was back to its natural colour, which meant they knew who she really was.

She wasn't sure what to think of that. She had strangely only been given a glimpse this time. The same image would pop up in her mind every time she saw him, but the pressure building at the back of her head told her that there was a lot more to see. Her seer blood had always been strong; she had always been able to see what she needed to. And now when she needed it the most she was blind. She wasn't sure whether he would interfere with her plans or make things a lot easier. That was what put here on edge when she was around him, that and the fact that his magic would constantly roam over her when they were in each other's presence. Constantly tasting, touching, feeling; she had to have her aura so tight around her to stop him from feeling the true strength of her magic that she felt she was going to be suffocated by her own magic! She hoped she would get a full vision soon; the constant pressure in her head was driving her insane.

Seeing she only had ten minutes to find Slytherin's office, she got out of bed and stepped past her ward line. The other three girls immediately became aware of her presence; identical shocked looks on their faces.

"Been hiding back there like the filth you are, mudblood?" Daphne shouted, face shifting in anger. Ana just walked out the room ignoring Daphne's screeches and cries of "mudblood" and "filth", she carried on until she was out of the common room and in the dungeons. Following Slytherin's trail of magic; undetectable to others but a glaring beacon to her, she quickly came to a portrait of a large sleeping grey snake. _How am I meant to get in if that idiot didn't give me the password? _she thought angrily. The grey snake moved in the portrait so that it was staring straight into her eyes; tighten her hold on her mental shields just in case she scowled and proceeded to knock heavily on the portrait. This in turn caused the snake to start hissing erratically and loudly, swaying in front of her as if it was going to strike.

The portrait then swung inwards to reveal a smirking Lord Slytherin, "it seems you've been able to upset my wall guardian, Icio." Ana just looked down submissively and shuffled her feet, refusing to allow her body to flinch when she felt his magic yet again wander her skin and hover teasingly. She heard him hiss to the snake, to which it quietened down and returned to sleeping. Feeling his eyes on her, Ana kept her head down, shielding her face with her hair. "Shall we continue this inside" he said before stepping to the side allowing her to enter. She brushed past him as she entered, wincing internally as a headache bloomed in the back of her head, and sat in the seat opposite his desk. As he walked slowly to his seat, she quickly glanced around his office subtly.

The room was tastefully decorated in an array of dark silver, green and greys. She noticed little images of serpents everywhere; carved into the wood of his desk, ornaments or the walls, no doubt somehow linked to him so he was aware of what his guests were doing at all times. The serpents were so small that she almost overlooked them; if it wasn't for the fact that they glowed softly with magic, she would have missed them entirely. The throbbing in the back of her mind chose that moment to suddenly increased, distracting her from her observations.

"Miss Harrow, I'm sure you know why you're here, so let's be brief" he started, staring at her downturned face. The pulsing in the back of her mind quickly began to spread to her eyes; the only warning she got that she was about to be pulled into a vision. "Any problems?" he sighed; disinterest written all over his face.

* * *

_She was walking arm in arm with Marvolo, her silk dress brushing against her thighs with every step she took. She could smell the light scent of her flowery perfume and the heavier scent of Marvolo's cologne. His strong arm was wrapped around hers; a comforting and heavy weight. The light clicking of her heels and the swish of her dress were the only sounds for a while as they walked slowly down the ornate hall._

"_Nervous?" he asked; a softness in his voice that was reserved for her ears only._

"_Come now, I've faced much worse than this" she replied lightly. The tightening of his arm on her told her how much her flippant comment had affected him. Patting him lightly on the arm she continued, "Vultures they may be, but hunters we are."_

* * *

"Miss Harrow!" Slytherin snapped, evidently annoyed with having been kept waiting.

Ana flushed and stammered quietly, "Sorry...erm...well, no-one seems to like me here. The Slytherins hate me, and the other houses hate me for being Slytherin."

"That is just something you are going to have to get used to, Miss Harrow. I certainly won't be going round telling people to be your friend. Prove yourself to them and maybe you'll be able to move up the Slytherin ranks, though that is unlikely considering your weak magic" he replied bluntly, causing Ana to blush deeper and blink the moisture out of her eyes. "I suggest you learn to cope with what you have" he finished, dismissal clear in his voice and actions as he turned to the stack of papers on his desk. She hesitated to get up, clearly flustered with his dismissal. "Yes?" he snapped, annoyed with her continuing presence.

"I...n-nothing" she stuttered due to the almost crippling pressure in her head, tripping over her worn shoes, she backed out of the room.

* * *

Fleeing once she was out of there, she jogged deeper into the dungeons; gasping as she gripped her head and leaned against the cold and slightly damp wall of the inner dungeons. She grabbed her crystal necklace, sliding down the wall slowly. "Leonardo" she stated.

"Yes, my lady" he voice rang loudly in her head.

"Not so loud, my ability has been punishing me lately" she snapped, rubbing her temples with her free hand.

"I'm sorry, My Lady. What can I do for you?" he replied in a softer tone.

"Why so formal, Leo?" she replied; a fake sense of lightness colouring her words.

"I realise after our previous conversation that I was out of line. You are my saviour, my Lady. I should treat you with the respect that is due to you at all times"

"Very well" she sighed wearily. "Any dirt on Slytherin?"

"Not yet, my Lady, but we are getting close. There is defiantly something strange with his past. Very well covered up, but then again we wouldn't be talking right now if I wasn't the best at uncovering these sorts of things."

"Indeed" she drawled "and what of _**him**_?"

"He's still in the USSR My Lady, tis' a big country after all. I believe he is following your trail to Siberia" Leo said.

"Good. Keep me posted" she said before hanging up. Straighten her clothes; she headed back to the Slytherin common room, taking a swig from her silver flask. _What are you hiding, Lord Slytherin?_ she thought to herself, walking with a confident sway in her hips.

* * *

_**So...**_

_**What do you think? Review please, i love to hear what you think of the story. Updates might be a bit slower, as i have a bit of writer's block for the next chapter. Hope to hear from you guys!**_

_**Sephoria **_


	5. Chapter 4 - Mr X

_**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**I hope you like it! Read and Review!**_

_Thoughts_ – thoughts in the mind and letter

_**Emphasis**_ – to emphasize some words

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Mr. X**

Ana entered the Charms classroom the next day, already bored to tears with the dull routine imposed by the school. She had never followed a routine as monotonous as this one before and it was starting to slowly drive her up the wall. Her magic was also starting to feel jittery from not being exercised for so long. She wasn't used to using only small amounts every day. In fact, she used heavy amounts of magic daily due to regime she followed and the sudden drop in usage was making her movements and thoughts sluggish.

Sitting at her now usual seat at the back, her vision of the board was soon blocked by a shock of brown wiry hair that belonged to none other than Hermione Granger. She was soon followed by her henchmen Weasley and Longbottom, if you could even call them that.

Hearing the sigh of frustration that escaped Ana's lips, Weasley turned round smirking before looking her up and down and saying "something you wanna say, snake?"

"No" she mumbled back, eyes downcast.

"Shhhh, Ron, we don't want to lose anymore house points!" Hermione said, chastising him.

"Leave it out Hermione! Flitwick ain't even here yet" he replied hotly. "Besides I was just talking to Harrow over here. You must be a real piece of work to get in with the snakes and be muggleborn. Proper evil, I bet" he continued, staring at Ana in disgust. "I mean you were sorted into Slytherin with all those pureblood crackpots and idiots; a true monster in the making I think"

Ana's face paled as she shakily said, "s-shut up, Weasley. You don't know anything about me"

"Wouldn't want to either" he replied sharply. Ana blinked rapidly, pretending that that comment didn't hurt her.

"I think it's a good thing actually" Granger piped up, "a muggleborn in Slytherin. It's progress!"

"Don't be daft, Hermione" Weasley exploded, "think about it. You know what all the Slytherins are like. Swanning around like they own the place! Always insulting and cursing you because they can get away with it! Dark, the lot of them. And if she's in with them, that makes her dark too, probably more so!"

"Detention Mr. Weasley and 5 points from Gryffindor" Flitwick said, making his presence known. "For disrupting the class and for that grotesque stereotypical rant" Weasley slumped back into his seat, glaring harshly at her as he did so. She could tell that Ron blamed her for his detention, but she was well passed caring.

The lesson passed quickly enough after the incident with Weasley, though the near constant pressure in her head was making her day a lot harder than it ought to be. She had never had such a problem with her seer abilities before; it was like something was stopping her from having a full vision. It almost felt like there was a vision in the back of her head waiting, but she couldn't get to it. She just kept on getting the same clip of her and Professor Slytherin walking arm in arm. It was frustrating and though she was loathed to admit it, it was worrying her as well. Her ability had never acted like this in the past and she was scared as to what this would mean for her in the future.

Following the throng of students out of the classroom, she discreetly took a swig from her flask; failing to notice Weasley's eyes watching her every movement.

* * *

Later that night found Ana sitting on her bed behind her curtains, once again waiting for her roommates to enter a deep sleep. It was getting late but she had some important mail to get. Quietly casting a strong notice-me-not charm, she slipped out her room and into the common room. There were still quite a few 7th years still up, finishing homework and the like. Whipping out her wand, she swiftly created a distraction in the form of one of the many statues of snakes falling over. She quickly sneaked past the bewildered students who were moving to inspect the now broken statue.

* * *

Moving silently through the cold and empty corridors of Hogwarts; Ana quickly made her way out of the dungeons and up the ever-moving staircases towards the 3rd floor. Pausing suddenly in one of the corridors; her wand snapping into her hand, she slowly turned around. Failing to see something there might have fooled any other person, but she knew she was being followed. She could sense the faint trace of their magical signature. _They must be considerably powerful to be able to hide their signature like this from me_ she thought warily.

"I-is anyone there?" she called with a false wobble in her voice. A sudden crash to her left had her whipping her body round, wand first.

"Whoa! Sorry, didn't mean to scare you" a voice belonging to James Potter said. She relaxed her stance immediately, being careful to look bashful and embarrassed as she watched James step out from what seemed to be an invisibility cloak. "Pretty fast reflexes you have there, Ana"

"Erm…yeah, sorry about that; I guess living with the Slytherins has gotten to me more than I thought" she replied, chuckling nervously as she discreetly pocketed her wand.

"Yeah" he said back, folding up his cloak. _It must have been the cloak that blocked his signature. I need to get my hands on that thing _she thought.

"You don't hate me like everyone else, do you?" she blurted out, turning fives shades of red.

Chuckling James replied, "Despite what some people may say, I'm not that shallow. I have to say I was a bit shocked. Thought you might be in with the Puffs; boy was I wrong."

"Sorry…" she said back uncertainty.

"Don't apologise, Ana. People end up in Slytherin for loads of different reasons. Besides a house is just a house, it won't matter once we leave Hogwarts anyway" he said, smiling slightly. They both knew what he had said was not entirely true; as long as Dumbledore and Professor Slytherin continued to play their political games, what house you were in would continue to dictate your life even after Hogwarts.

"Why are you out so late anyway? It's nearly midnight" he asked, stepping closer to her until they were almost chest to chest.

"I was just getting some air. The atmosphere in the dungeons is…I couldn't…." she trailed off, shuffling her feet. She was sure he could hear her heart hammering in her chest.

"I get it" he said; hands coming up to gently squeeze the top of her arms. "I can't imagine what it must be like for you" he continued, watching her blush deepen.

"It's not easy" she confessed, biting her lip as she staring into his hazel coloured eyes. "I don't really have anyone to rely on here"

"You have me" he said back quickly. "If you need me Ana, just say"

"Thank you" she said softly, willing her eyes to shine with unshed tears.

"Do you want some company?" he asked in an equally soft tone, squeezing her arms lightly again.

"N-no, I'm ok. I think I just want to spend some time on my own you know. Without all the glaring and whispering"

"Ok, Ana" he said, pulling her into a gentle hug "my offer will always stand"

* * *

Ana watched him walk away with a blank look on her face, before casting a strong invisibility charm on herself and walking swiftly to the astronomy tower. _That cloak must be something special. If I were a normal witch, I would never have been able to sense him like I did. It must have allowed him to see through my notice-me-not charm as well. My charm work is so strong it made me nigh on impossible to see and yet he managed to follow me _she thought rapidly to herself, _I need to get that cloak._

Entering the tower, Ana cast a complicated locking and security charm/ward that would alert her if anyone came within 50 feet of the tower. Dropping her invisibility charm, she turned to the black crow that was perched on the window seal silently waiting for her. Moving quickly she untied the miniature scroll attached to its leg, enlarged it and slide down to the floor as she read it.

_To My Dearest Lady,_

_ Our numbers and powers continue to grow but alas only at a slow rate. We are hesitant to move too fast, least we reveal ourselves or worse, you My Lady. We continue to recruit and convert people, so that we may be strong when the time comes for you to enact your revenge. We seek only to take the most powerful and influential, so you may make use of them appropriately. I have ensured and will continue to ensure that those that have pledged themselves to you are loyal and remain loyal and continue to serve you will all their might and magic. I assure you, My Lady, when the time comes we will be strong enough and plentiful enough to ensure __**his**__ destruction and your victory._

_Always and forever yours_

_Your faithful servant,_

_Mr. X_

"Go now" she breathed airily to the crow, which immediately launched itself into the air and disappeared into the night. Holding the letter to her chest, she smiled darkly as the parchment burnt and turned to ash in her hands.

* * *

**Hope you liked it! this chapter was quite hard, as i had a bit of writer's block. Hoping to write chapters a lot faster, since i'm off for christmas, but can't guarantee anything. I do have exams to study for**!

**_R&R_**

**_Sephoria_**


	6. Chapter 5 - Turning Tables

___**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**First of all i want to say a big SORRY for the wait for this chapter. Christmas, New Years and then exams got in the way of writing! I wrote this chapter yesterday, after having finished my exams the day before because i was very aware of how long it had been since i last updated. I want to say a huge thanks to all those who have reviewed, favourited and/or are following this story. Gives me a massive boost when i see :D**_

_**R&R**_

_Thoughts/Letters_

_**Emphasis**_

_Spells_

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Turning Tables**

Just over a week had passed since her accidental midnight meeting with James and she had yet to be able to speak to him, let alone get her hands on that cloak. Every attempt she made to get closer to him was blocked by either Black or Pettigrew. The hatred she felt for those two was growing everyday of the week; their stupidity and unfounded arrogance rubbing her the wrong way every time they opened their mouths. Ana had also taking to sneaking around the castle at night, trying to find the perfect place to stretch out her magic. It was becoming increasingly urgent that she practice her magic soon; she could feel it creeping under her skin, aching to be let loose. The fact that she had to constantly keep a tight grip on her aura just worsened things. She had found a promising spot deep in the depths of the dungeons. Ana could only assume that the cell chamber had been necessary when Hogwarts was a lot younger. Nevertheless, it was a good site and she was in the process of heavily warding the area, to ensure not a single spark of her magical signature leaked out.

Entering the Great Hall with the rest of the students for lunch, she silently slipped onto the bench which had quickly become her _**designated area**_. At the foot of the Slytherin table, she was left to sit on her own; everyone else sitting at least 2 feet away from her. _Wouldn't want to catch the mudblood disease now, would we? _she thought darkly. Pulling out a very advanced mastery level offensive magic textbook, cleverly disguised as her 6th year potions book; she proceeded to read, ignoring the food and chattering around her. She had resolved to avoid Professor Slytherin as much as possible since the vision incident in his office. She was surprised and incredibly lucky that he didn't notice the misty white film that covered her eyes; a tell tale sign of a seer in action. _Though _she thought, _I did have my head down and he wasn't actually looking at me._

At that moment in time, a sandwich sailed through the air and hit her square in the face and snapping her head back. The outbreak of laughter and sniggering from the middle of the Slytherin table told her that the action was deliberate. Wiping the egg mayonnaise off her cheek, she glanced towards the perpetrators. Masking the rage that boiled in her blood when she caught Bellatrix's smirk, she took a deep breath and returned to her book. When more food rained down on her, Ana packed up her stuff and left the Great Hall in a hurry; escaping before she blew her cover. Making her way to Transfiguration twenty minutes early, she slid down the corridor wall and took out her sketch book to see if she could tease out any more information about the vision waiting in the back of her head. Most seers have a preferred way of trying to understand and predict the future without the use of visions. After all, visions were usually random, brief and frustratingly cryptic. Whilst some seers took to reading the stars or tea leaves, Ana preferred to draw, sketch or paint. It helped her to remember and often she would draw parts of the vision before she actually _saw_ it. Leaning her head against the wall and centering her magic, she began to draw anything that floated into her mind.

"Hey! Mudblood Harrow" someone shouted from down the corridor. Snapping out her haze quickly, she scrambled to her feet, hastily shoving her sketchbook back into her tattered bag. Seeing Bellatrix advancing on her, she backed up and tried to make herself as small as possible. Glancing around in panic, she saw the corridor was filled with students watching her; as if she were the latest entertainment.

"B-Bellatrix" she stuttered as the older girl got closer, eyes on the ground.

"I don't know why you got up Harrow, your place is on the floor. At my feet." Bellatrix said smiling darkly, electing chuckles from some of the surrounding students. "In fact, I think it's about time someone righted that situation, don't you?"

"I-I… please" Ana stuttered almost silently in return; her back hugging the wall.

"Ahhh, the pathetic baby mudblood is begging" Bellatrix mocked, "Get on your knees."

"N-no" she said back defiantly, heart pounding.

"Oh, the little baby wants to play. Well play we shall" Bellatrix replied grinning ear to ear. "_Secare_" Bellatrix suddenly shouted, wand in hand.

An invisible force ripped its way through Ana's tatty robe and sliced deep into her arm, electing a gasp from someone in the crowd. She clutched her arm in pain, trying to stem the bleeding and stop her eyes from glistening.

"Ahh, is little baby birdie Harrow going to cry" Bellatrix taunted, twirling her wand. "Now, Get. On. Your. Knees!" Seeing that Ana didn't move, Bellatrix once again aimed and shouted "_Incendio__**"**_

Flames erupted around Ana's legs; her robes having caught fire. She dropped her stuff and desperately tried to put out the flames as the crowd laugh at her agony.

Before Bellatrix could do much more than that, there was a commotion behind the crowd of students.

"Wha-what is going on here?" Professor McGonagall shouted as she tore her way through the crowd. Glancing over at Ana and Bellatrix, her eyes narrowed and her lips became even thinner.

"50 points from Slytherin and detention Miss Black; your grotesque brutish behavior will not be tolerated in this school." Looking over at the students hovered around the two, she barked "and what are all of you still doing here? Get to your lessons!"

The students dispersed quickly; none of them willing to test McGonagall's already short patience.

"You too, Miss Black" she finished pointedly. Watching Bellatrix stomped away from the corridor, Ana relaxed and took off her robe to check the damage.

"Thank you, Professor" Ana mumbled quietly.

"Go to the Infirmary, you'll be excused from class today" McGonagall replied, lips still pursed.

Nodding, Ana picked up her fallen robe and turned to leave. "Miss Harrow?"

"Yes Professor"

"Headmaster Dumbledore instructed me to give you this" she said, pulling out a small role of parchment and handing it to her. With that task now done, McGonagall walked into her classroom, leaving Ana standing on her own in the stone corridor.

Ana left quickly making sure to go in the opposite direction to Bellatrix. Finding a secluded corner near the infirmary, she opened the scroll from Dumbledore.

_Miss A. Harrow_

_It would please me greatly if you could join me in my office after dinner for a quick chat._

_Headmaster A. Dumbledore_

_p.s. I enjoy Pepper Imps on occasion._

Folding the parchment back up, she frowned. _What have I done to attract his attention?_ She thought; smearing the blood around her wound to make it look worse before she entered the infirmary.

* * *

Standing in front of the ugly-wall-gargoyle-creature-thing that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office, Ana clutched the parchment in her hand.

"Pepper Imps" she said calmly, before placing on her mask of a shy and naïve girl. The wall guardian moved out the way and she ascended the stone steps within.

"Come in, Miss Harrow" Dumbledore's voice rang out before she could knock on the dark wood door. Walking in, she quickly took in her surroundings. The room was filled with magical silver and gold instruments that released puffs of smoke or spun around. The magic coming off these ornaments was so strong that she felt like a pressure was pushing down on her skin from all sides, making her appear clumsily. _Not that that's a bad thing_ she noted silently. She also quickly spotted the numerous portraits that decorated his walls, watching in interest as she entered.

"Please sit down Miss Harrow" Dumbledore said jovially. She noted the large phoenix sitting to the headmaster's left, staring at her with its beady black eyes. The creature ruffled its feathers before promptly going to sleep, obviously not perturbed by her presence. The common misconceptions about phoenixes were that they were some kind of early warning system again dark wizards; that they would show some sign if you were in the presence of a truly evil person. The truth was that phoenixes are very passive creatures and generally don't really care about the magical leanings of any one person. As long as you left their masters alone, they were happy to watch you sin, sin and sin again.

"Thank you, Professor" Ana said in response, tripping slightly into the chair. She could sense the unique magical signature of the hat behind her to the left and she was itching to get her hands on it.

"Am I in some kind of trouble?"

"Oh no Miss Harrow, not at all; I just wanted to see how you were fairing being so far away from home" Dumbledore replied, eyes smiling "Tea or maybe I could tempt you with a lemon drop?"

"Um…tea would be lovely" she replied a bit flustered as a pop next to her signaled the arrival of her drink "Thank you."

"No worries my dear. Now, how are you finding England?"

"England is lovely, Sir. The wizarding community here is so large. Diagon Alley is simply amazing!"

"But?" he replied knowingly.

"I'm not sure if Hogwarts is right for me" she admitted softly, dodging his knowing eyes.

"Why, child?" the white haired wizard said, as if it were the saddest thing he had ever heard.

"I don't really fit in" she mumbled, rubbing her newly healed arm for effect.

"Yes" he replied frowning as he looked at her arm. "Perhaps Professor Slytherin will be able to solve this issue; after all he does seem to have an inordinate amount of control over his snakes."

"Oh no! That's not necessary" she said quickly, panicking when she saw him stand up.

"I'm afraid I have to go get him myself, he never responds to house elves. At least not when I send them" the old wizard muttered tiredly. "I'm sure you'll be fine on your own for five minutes, hmm"

"I-I-I…Professor" she said weakly as he left. Slumping back into the chair, she fidgeted nervously causing a pellet like object to fall from her robe. On impact with the floor, the object split, releasing a hazy blue gas. It rapidly filled the air and then just as quickly disappeared. Looking around, she noticed all the portraits of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses frozen, their eyes glazed over. Fawkes was still perched on his stand, happily asleep.

Smiling she leapt out of her chair and clapped eyes on her prize.

"You can't do anything to me" the hat said gruffly, almost nervously.

"Who said anything about that" she replied wickedly. "I just wanna chat; make friends maybe?"

"Be gone, demon" the hat shouted; probably hoping to rouse Fawkes. As Ana knew he would, the phoenix barely ruffled its wings.

"A bit over dramatic, don't you think?" she said, getting closer "demon? Honestly!"

"I haven't said anything to the Headmaster" the tattered material said quickly.

"Oh, I know" she said leaning until she was breathing on it. "I just want to make sure you never tell the Headmaster, hmm"

"You-you can't do anything to me!" it protested, "Stop it!"

Humming to herself, Ana began to quickly draw invisible runes onto the hat that would ensure his silence and keep her secret. Finishing up, she knew she had little time left; she threw another pellet to the floor, sat down and waited for the magic to work. The portraits awoke from their magic induced stupor and carried on as if nothing had happened.

"It's alright, my dear. Dumbledore will look after ya" a plump grey haired witch called from a portrait, noticing the strain and slight sheen of sweat on the young girl's face. Ana just nodded shakily, nervously fiddling with her tea cup.

The door opened behind her and in strolled Dumbledore and Slytherin in the middle of what seemed to be an argument.

"-expect me to do?" Slytherin said, eyes flashing.

"Now, now Tom, let's not get angry. Lemon drop?" Dumbledore said, sagging slightly into his chair. Slytherin chose to stand behind her near the door, further putting Ana on edge.

"Crying wolf, Harrow?" Slytherin said mockingly; ignoring Dumbledore's question. Ana just bowed her head further and stayed quiet; the tea cup shaking in her hands.

"Tom" Dumbledore scolded, ignoring the angry hiss from Slytherin; "Surely there must be something you can do about you Slytherins bullying the poor dear. She's practically defenseless against their assault!"

"That's the point! It's because she is so pathetically weak that she is in this situation" the navy blue eyed man exploded. "If you're _**sooo**_ concerned, declare a resort!"

"You know I won't do that, Tom" the older wizard sighed, "Slytherin is her true house and as such she is your responsibility"

Turning in disgust, Slytherin stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

"There you are dear, all sorted" the older wizard said happily; ignoring the tear tracks running down her face.

* * *

Later that night, Ana was awakened by a soft vibrating against her chest. Sitting up quickly, she answered.

"Yes?"

"Sorry to wake you Ana, but I thought you would want to hear this straight away" the voice of Leo said.

"What is it? Has something happened to Mai? Cass?" she said quickly; dread gripping her chest for a moment.

"No no, we're all fine. I found something dirty on Slytherin. Something real _**dirty**_"

"Well…what is it?"

"It seems our esteemed Professor had aspirations of becoming a Dark Lord once upon a time" Leo said, smirk clear in his voice.

"Proof?" Ana replied sharply, sitting up straighter.

"I have the one and only horcrux he made" Leo said smoothly, before muttering "Bloody difficult to get for sure"

"A horcrux" Ana whispered almost reverently, "Merlin's balls, he was serious"

"Exactly, not quite sure why he stopped; all his dark lord antics suddenly end for no apparent reason"

"This is good, Leo" Ana said, eyes sparkling, "This is very good. If this got out, his political career, creditability; hell even his freedom would be in jeopardy."

"Bye-bye Lord Slytherin" Leo said chuckling darkly to himself. "What do you want me to do with it?"

"Keep it to yourself and keep it quiet. This is just a failsafe" Ana said decisively. "You did well, Leo. Very well indeed"

"Thank you" Leo whispered shakily; the pleasure of receiving Ana's praise always felt phenomenal. Hanging up, Ana went to sleep with a smile on her face. _Oh how the tables have turned, Slytherin_ she thought smugly.

* * *

_**secare- means "To cut" in Latin**_

_**Hope you liked it! Review please :) I would love to know what you guys think**_

_**Sephoria x**_


	7. Chapter 6 - Thalia Hart

___**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**Please forgive any mistakes!**_

_**R&R**_

_Thoughts/Letters_

_**Emphasis**_

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Thalia Hart**

Time passed quickly for the students of Hogwarts. They were now fully into the new school year and class work was beginning to pile up, especially for the sixth and seventh years. Many could be found stationed in the library behind a wall of dusty old books, covertly trying to avoid the eagle eye of Madam Pince as they ate chocolates and sweets. Ana often joined them, sitting alone at the back of the library; if only to seem normal. She never did any actual studying for her N.E.W.T's. There was no need; she had passed them when she was much younger. Not that any of them knew about that, of course.

Breakfast in the Great Hall was the same as always except for the presence of a somber looking man and a young mousy-type woman in Auror uniforms. The unknown man was currently gazing out on to the students with distrust and disgust, whilst the girl was staring hard into her porridge. Their presence seemed the topic of more than one conversation in the hall, from what Ana could hear from her vantage point.

As Dumbledore stood a hush overcame the hall, "As all of you can see, we have some guests! Aurors Knoma and Fen have taken time out of their busy schedules in order to give a talk on a very serious matter to do with the Great War."

Ripples ran through the hall, as students were reminded of the War the British Wizarding Army was currently fighting in. No doubt, many had forgotten that piece of information, safe and sound behind the strong wards of Hogwarts, despite numerous articles in the Prophet about how the BWA were fairing. _Idiots_ Ana thought harshly in her head, _too bloody stupid to realize that the war will soon hit them hard and fast_.

"First through to third years will have the talk straight after breakfast; fourth to fifth after lunch and sixth and seventh after dinner. I do hope you treat Aurors Knoma and Fen with the same respect you treat every other Professor here."

Students shuffled out of the hall, the majority excited about the mystery guests or the fact that they were missing lessons. Ana managed to catch James' eye as they too shuffled out of the hall; smiling shyly, she blushed when he grinned in return. She watched as Black caught on to what they were doing and ushered James away, talking about something inane like Quidditch teams.

* * *

After dinner, the sixth and seventh years flowed into a magical enlarged classroom, chattering and laughing as they sat down. Auror Knoma was stood at the front; hands clasped, back straight, his beady eyes taking in every detail, whilst Auror Fen was located in the corner holding a stack of papers. Professor McGonagall and Professor Slytherin were also stood at the front, no doubt to supervise.

"Students, this is Auror Knoma as you all know. Quiet down, this is important" McGonagall called out when it was clear that they weren't going to calm down on their own.

"Thank you, Professor" Knoma said, bowing his head in her direction. "Now, I'm sure you've all heard of the Dark Lord Grindelwald from mainland Europe" he said, pacing slowly. An affirmative noise carried through the crowd. Ana slumped further in her chair, hoping to look as inconspicuous as possible, whilst listening intently. Knoma suddenly turned to tap a strange rectangle-like shaped object on the table in front of him and a large hovering image of Grindelwald popped up. A couple of girls at the front screamed, having not expected it whilst those further back laughed at them.

"If you're screaming over a picture, then Merlin help you all" Knoma said darkly. The laughter immediately stopped; a sober atmosphere settling over the classroom. "Now, that I have your undivided attention, I shall begin again. This is the Dark Lord Grindelwald who is currently the main reason for the War in mainland Europe. Can anyone tell me why?"

As usual Granger's hand shot up so fast that Longbottom next to her would have been blinded had he not of ducked at the last second.

"Grindelwald is the most powerful Dark Lord to come out of Europe in centuries" Granger began when given the go ahead by Knoma. "His main goal is to eradicate and/or enslave all muggles in Europe and then eventually the world, as he believes them to be inferior and that wizards should rule. He's already had major successes by influencing and encouraging the madness from the muggle Fuhrer of Germany, Adolf Hitler. The British, French, American and Soviet wizarding armies are currently fighting against him in order to prevent his plans coming to fruition."

"Yes" Knoma replied with hissing undertones, "at least one student is reliably informed about this war." His comment caused Granger to beam and every Slytherin to sneer. "However, I'm not here to talk about Grindelwald, I'm here to talk about someone that is arguably more dangerous." A ripple passed through the room, as students leaned forward; eager for exciting new information.

"Has anyone heard of the Lady Thalia Hart?" Knoma asked, perching on the edge of the table, gazing out towards the students for any hint of recognition. Most students looked immediately to Granger, who had the most disgruntled expression on her face; not knowing the answer. Ana made sure to cover her face with as much hair as acceptable and hide behind the people in front of her. She didn't like the direction this talk was heading.

"No?" Knoma tried again, before standing and pacing aggressively. "Thalia Hart is the one and only child to the Dark Lord Grindelwald. Not much is known about her. No one knows where she came from, who her mother is or even how old she is. In fact it was only a couple of years ago that Allied forces were made aware of the fact that Grindelwald had a daughter. Do you know what that tells you?" he asked spinning around to face the students.

"That she's probably really ugly" Black joked; electing a laugh from the Gryffindors around him.

"No, you idiot boy!" Knoma exploded; face contorted in a sneer. "It tells you that she is special. That he went to great pains to keep her secret. It tells you that she is either a very big weakness or a very real threat; a secret weapon one might say."

As Knoma turned to tap the projector device again, Ana heart froze in her chest. Her wand shooting discreetly in her hand, she waited as her mind rapidly came up with different scenarios, plans and escape routes. _I will have to take out the Aurors and Professors quickly, and then the students _she thought, eyes narrowed. Knoma tapped the device and a far away large image of a young woman popped up; she was quite clearly fighting in a battle of some kind.

"Why is she all blurry?" Black piped up again, causing Knoma to scowl at him."You can barely see her"

"We think she's using some kind of charm to keep her identity a secret. As you can see, all we know is that she has blonde hair and blue eyes; much like her father."

"Is that all the information you have?" Granger said, a tad bit shrilly.

"Yes" Knoma snapped, baring his teeth at her, "and one moving picture."

"Can we see it?" an unknown sixth year piped up near the back; murmurs of agreement rising from the crowd at his suggestion.

"If you wish" Knoma drawled, jabbing his wand at the projector once again. The frozen image suddenly started to play. It showed the woman, Thalia, easily taking down masses of wizards with hundreds of quick fire unknown spells; some of them invisible, only known about due to the fact that men were dropping like flies behind her. She moved with unparallel grace and fluidity; never staying in one spot but hardly moving a few feet or so in either direction. Her long, straight blonde hair tied in a high pony, wiped around behind her as she twisted and turned. She wore tight fitting black pants and a dark grey top cut in a popular wizarding fashion.

Less than two minutes had passed before fifty or so wizards and witches lay lifeless at her feet. The students watched in horrid fascination as the woman looked straight at the hidden person, with her deep blue eyes that seemed to burn a hole in your mind, and shot a quick Avada Kedavra at them. The hologram then cut out, letting everyone know what happened to the unfortunate fellow.

"As you can see she's quite skilled" Knoma said calmly, "We were lucky to get this footage; she didn't know she was being recorded at the time."

"Why are you telling us all of this?" Lily Evans spoke up, pale faced and tense.

"We have reason to believe Hart might be in or coming to Britain." Ana tensed further watching the dismay grow on most of the students faces; their panic laced voices beginning to rise. The Slytherins, though, barely twitched. They had yet to react much to the anything they had heard.

"But why?" Granger screeched as her voice rose above the noise.

"Quiet!" McGonagall shouted, shooting a loud bang from the end of her wand; immediate silence overcame the room. Once again Knoma bowed his head to the Professor before continuing.

"We have recently found out that Hart is not with her father and hasn't been for a couple of weeks. Grindelwald has yet to strike England directly, but we know he has strong ties here. It is our assumption that he has sent Hart on some undercover mission to infiltrate the country. From what intelligence we have, Hart is especially adept at undercover and evasion techniques. A major blow to England would cripple the Allied forces and give Grindelwald the opportunity to seize complete control over Europe. We ask you to keep a close look out for any suspicious behavior in and about Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Keep a look out for any signs of the Imperius curse and the like from people you know. We must stay vigilant in times of War. You can report anything you see or hear to the address on the pamphlets that my colleague will be giving out soon." With that, Knoma bowed his head to the class, obviously dismissing them. Auror Fen quickly dashed to stand by the door, giving out the pamphlets as students shuffled out of the room.

As it came to her turn, Ana felt an extra piece of parchment being pushed into her hand as she took the pamphlet from the Auror. Barely blinking in response, Ana moved quickly back to her dorms as she passed variously students discussing Thalia Hart and her evil ways.

Closing the curtains around her bed, she quickly unfolded the extra piece of parchment.

_My Lady,_

_As you can see we have started infiltrating the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Auror ranks. It is difficult work, especially with John Dawlish as the Head of the Department. He is convinced you are in England, My Lady. We are currently devising a plan to incapacitate him and ensure your continued safety within the British Isles, so that you may carry out your task. Our numbers grow and we will be strong enough soon, My Lady. Of that you have my word._

_Yours in mind, body, magic and soul_

_Your truest servant,_

_Mr. X_

* * *

_**Another chapter so soon after the first!**  
_

_**Tell me what you think...**_

_**R&R**_

_**Sephoria x**_


	8. Chapter 7 - The Goblet Is Never Wrong

_**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**Another chapter! I'm churning these out! Read and Review, it definitely makes me write me faster!**_

_Thoughts_

* * *

**Chapter 7 – The Goblet Is Never Wrong**

Excitement spread throughout the students as everybody waited for the Hogwarts event of the year; the Halloween Ball. All Greengrass, Parkinson and Bulstrode talked about were what they were going to wear and who they were taking; it was enough to drive Ana out of her dorm. Ana spent most of her time down in the warded cell chamber practicing and fine tuning her magical skills and masteries. It helped her keep her magic levels controllable and therefore it was easier to mask her aura when Slytherin's magic decided to latch onto her. It was becoming increasingly uncomfortable for Ana whenever she had Defence against the Dark Arts. His magic would creep along her skin and hover, weighing her down and making her movements slower; if only minutely. She was sure Slytherin noticed and yet he had done nothing to rein it in. His magical aura was heavy, oppressive and slightly erotic but she stood absolutely firm in her resolution to ignore it. She had yet to have the full vision; the only new information she had received was that once she and Marvolo had walked through through the ornate hall, they enter a vast ballroom filled with people, music and food. The extra glimpse didn't anything she couldn't of deduce herself, which frustrated her greatly. If it wasn't for her headache potion she would have been bedridden every time she was in his presence.

Meanwhile the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, John Dawlish, had launched a campaign to find the mysterious Lady Thalia Hart that he was convinced was heading to England. The whole campaign was highly stressful for Ana and although she had been reassured that he would be dealt with, she was impatience and tense. _If they don't do something soon, I'll take matters into my own hands _she thought darkly.

Ana was currently walking from the library; a stack of books perched precariously in her hands, as the last dying rays of the sun filtered through the castle. Her thick curly black hair thrown up in a messy bun; she shuffled her way through the corridors.

"Ana! Wait up" a male voice called to her as she was about to round a corner. Frowning slightly, she turned only to see James jogging towards her. Instantly her frown became a smile as she watched him approach her.

"Hey" she said back quietly, cheeks reddening.

"Hey" James said grinning, "We haven't really gotten the chance to talk much, have we?"

"Yeah, I know" Ana said, tucking one of the loose strands her hair behind her ear as she balanced her books on one hand. "I guess people just keep getting in the way."

"Sorry about that" he grimaced; his hand moving to ruffle the hair at the back of his head, "I don't know what's with Sirius or Peter these days"

"Its fine" she mumbled in return, eyes to the floor.

"What's with all the books?" James asked suddenly, plucking one from the stack in Ana's hands. "_From Innocence to Darkness; What Makes People Evil? by Irma Horlen_?"

"Um…yeah" Ana stuttered as she flushed deeply; nearly snatching the book out of James' hand. "I'm just really interested in what makes people turn to dark magic and become Dark Lords like Grindelwald"

"Oh really, that's kinda cool" James said surprised, "Most girls I know are just into makeup and Witch Weekly"

"I guess I'm not most girls" she replied shyly, cheeks hot.

"No. You are most defiantly not" he agreed, stepping closer. "Oh, hey; if you're into that kind of stuff what did you think of the talk on Thalia Hart? She was pretty freaky eh?"

"Oh yeah, gosh I had almost forgotten about that. It's strange how no-one's heard of her" Ana replied, throat dry. "Maybe she's gone on holiday?" she tried to joke.

"I dunno, from all the stuff Dawlish is saying, I'm starting to think she might come here, you know" James said as he moved closer to Ana; almost backing her into a corner.

"Really?" Ana asked incredulously, blowing another stray piece of hair out of her face in irritation. "It looks to me like Dawlish is telling tales of a mysterious witch to distract the public and Ministry from the fact that he hasn't met his targets for the past five years. He has the lowest conviction rate of any Head of DMLE in centuries!"

"You don't think she's real?" James replied grinning, as he leaned against the corridor wall bringing them even closer together.

"Oh, I think she's real" she said, "I just think that if she were on an undercover mission somewhere she'd be in the USSR. After all they're the most powerful opposition to Grindelwald's reign at the moment, with them being on mainland Europe and having the biggest army."

"Huh, I guess you're right"

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Ana huffed in annoyance, bringing her books closer to her chest.

"I like it when you get like this. All angry and cute; kinda like an angry kitten" James said, his grin growing.

"An angry kitten?" she laughed; eyes bright. "Believe me, I can be more than just an angry kitten."

"I'd like to see that some time" he said deeply, tucking a piece of fallen hair behind her ear; his thumb sliding down her cheek.

"I'll see if I can arrange that" she smiled back, his blush blooming once more.

* * *

After her meeting with James, Ana hid behind the curtains on her bed reading a book, as she absently listened to Greengrass, Parkinson and Bulstrode get ready for the Halloween Ball.

"Are you sure this yellow dress doesn't make my hips look big?" Parkinson screeching voice rang out.

"You look perfect, babe! I'm sure Rodolphus will appreciate it, if you know what I mean. You'll have him begging on his knees in no time" Greengrass said back giggling loudly. "Do you think Lucius will notice me in this number?"

"How can he not? That's pink dress makes your legs look so good" Parkinson replied.

"You think?" Greengrass said before both of them dissolved into hysterical giggles.

"Isn't Lucius engaged to Narcissa?" Bulstrode asked.

"Oh, shut up Mili! Loose a few pounds and maybe you could finally get Severus and his beak nose to look your way" Greengrass snapped back cruelly. Parkinson and Greengrass spent the rest of the evening giggling as they got ready whilst Bulstrode was oddly silent.

Hearing them leave at around seven thirty; the Ball starting at eight, Ana read and sketched more to past the time. The clock hitting nine she packed up her things and set off into the castle. Her destination, the library, specifically the restricted section. She hoped to gather more information on Slytherin and his Horcruxes. She had also set Leo the task of finding out more information about Dumbledore, now that he had taken an active interest in her. They were the big players right now and she needed to be prepared for what they might throw at her. Sneaking through the empty corridors, she passed by the Great Hall where she could see students and professors just finishing their Halloween Feast. Making her way to the third floor she rounded a corner only to be confronted with Filch and his scruffy cat.

"What do you think you're doing?" Filch exploded, scuttling towards her. _Damn it!_ She thought _He's a squib; of course I wouldn't have been able to sense him._

"Nothing, I was just going to the library" Ana answered, backing away slowly.

"Lies" the grubby caretaker hissed, "You were gonna cause trouble! I know the likes when I see em"

Filch grabbed her arm and proceeded to drag her back down the stairs towards the Great Hall.

"What are you doing?" she shouted; considering oblivating him and escaping.

"Taking you back to the Ball, that's what I'm doing" Filch sneered. "See you cause mischief when surrounded by Professors, eh" Filch shoved her into the Great Hall and closed the doors behind him, effectively locking her in.

Ana turned to face the crowd and took in her surroundings. The hall was decorated in varying shades of blacks, oranges and reds. Thousands of candles floated around the ceiling, casting a soft warm glow on the people below. Everyone was dressed in their finest dresses or robes and oddly stood in a crude circle, with their backs to her. She could just spot James in an expensive pair of red velvet robes, with Lily Evans at his side in a light gold number. Sneaking a little closer and trying to stay hidden; she stuck out like a sore thumb in her ratty faded black robes and scuffed sneakers and didn't want to attract unnecessary attention. She looked over the shoulders of the nearest person and saw that they were all stood around a large Goblet that emitted blue and golden flames. The magic pulsing off the object was intense and vibrated through Ana's body like a shockwave. _Why am I always so sensitive to magic? That thing is giving me another headache_ she thought grumpily. Taking a swig from her silver flask, she watched intently as Dumbledore approached the goblet in shinning silver robes.

"Ladies and Gentleman we stand gathered here on All Hallows Eve to remember the lives of the ones we have lost and to celebrate the lives of the ones we still have" Dumbledore said loudly. "As I'm sure you all know, we have a long standing tradition here at Hogwarts of uniting individuals under this potent night in the most beautiful way. So without further ado…" he said waving his wand at the Goblet.

Instantly churning and gurgling sounds could be heard from the Goblet as the magic within began to stir and thrash violently. The fires coming off of it seemed to explode higher, almost reaching the ceiling, as it twisted and danced. A small fiery blue spark abruptly shot off from the main column of blue and gold fire and hit what looked like a fifth year boy in the chest. Gasps of excitement erupted through the crowd, as the boy's aura became visible and began to glow blue. Less than ten seconds later, the young girl holding hands with him began to glow blue as well. Furious clapping and cheers rang out from the crowd as the boy and girl embraced happily. _What the hell is going on here?_ Ana thought in confusion.

A hush befell the crowd once again as they watched the column of fire dance towards the ceiling. This time a much larger golden spark shot out and seemed to pierce Lord Slytherin through the chest. A crescendo of noise erupted as the female students immediately began giggling and smoothing out their dresses in anticipation. A swirling aura of gold and dark silver spreading 3 feet in all directions suddenly appeared around Slytherin; multitudes of girls sighed at the power on display.

"Merlin this can't be happening!" someone screeched nearby, their voice carrying above the crowd. Ana snapped her head in the direction of the noise only to see Bellatrix staring at her in horror. Shocked gasps spread throughout the crowd as they all turned to look at her, parting so she was in the direct eye sight of Slytherin. Looking down in confusion, she finally noticed the same gold and silver glow emitting from her. Tightening her control on her aura so that it was only a couple of inches passed her skin, she felt dread hit her stomach.

"How can she? How can she be?" she heard Bellatrix mumbling distraughtly to herself. The silence thickened as Ana looked up to meet the enraged eyes of Slytherin. The disgust and hatred coming off him was enough to make everyone take a couple of steps away from her. The Goblet suddenly gave a lurch and cut out, the sudden darkness startling people. The glows coming from Slytherin and Ana cut off as well. This seemed to spur the Lord into action. He stalked his way towards Ana, grabbed her arm harshly and started to drag her out of the hall.

"What are you doing?" Ana asked fearfully once they were out of the Hall. She struggled to keep up with his furious paces, wincing as he gripped her arm tighter; half dragging her through the corridors. "Ow…please stop. You're hurting me"

Slytherin suddenly span her round to face him, gripped her arms and proceeded to violently shake her almost screaming "You ridged the Goblet! I know you ridged it! There's no way-"

"Marvolo let her go!" McGonagall exclaimed in shock, as she and Dumbledore quickly ran up to them. Slytherin sneered in disgust; his eyes alight with madness before pushing her violently away from him. Ana slammed into the stone wall of the corridor, hitting her head hard against the rough brick. Moaning pitifully she slid down the stones as Slytherin looked down at her.

"Tom!" Dumbledore shouted, "My office now!"

Ana was helped up by McGonagall, who was frowning severely as she watched Slytherin storm away. The rest of them quickly made their way there, only to see Slytherin pacing up and down furiously.

"Why don't you sit down Tom?" Dumbledore suggested as he, Ana and McGonagall sat down in the chairs provided.

"I don't want to sit down" he snarled, eyes blazing. "I want to know how she tricked the Goblet."

"Goblet?" Ana asked in confusion, rubbing her bruising arms, "Please I don't know what's going on. Why is the Goblet so important?

"Miss Harrow" McGonagall sighed. "The Goblet was created by Helga Hufflepuff and is used on All Hallows Eve when it is at its most powerful to join and link two people together in the most powerful way."

"The most powerful way?" Ana asked, a furrow in her brow showing she was still bewildered.

"Soul mates, my dear" Dumbledore clarified from behind his desk, "the Goblet shows us our soul mates."

"But that would mean…" she replied, looking at Slytherin with dawning horror. Slytherin just sneered down at her, finally having stopped his relentless pacing. "B-but we can't be!"

"And why is that?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

"He's so mean!" Ana exclaimed, tears leaking from her green eyes. McGonagall choked back a laugh while Dumbledore just smiled serenely.

"There is no way that this slip of a girl is my soul mate!" Slytherin suddenly announced darkly from near the door.

"Come now Tom" Dumbledore said cheerfully, ignoring the glares sent his way. "This could be good for both of you"

"Good for me? She is so weak, I'll be surprised if she could even levitate a bloody book" Slytherin snorted in disbelief, panting harshly.

"Not everything is about power, Tom" Dumbledore replied. "Perhaps Miss Harrow could help you become a calmer and less severe person and you can help build her confidence. In fact, this might be the reason why she was sorted into Slytherin in the first place. She is your soul mate and you need to learn to accept it"

With an almost inhuman cry, Slytherin stormed out of the office; his magic nearing ripping the door off its hinges.

"Please, Headmaster. He can't be my soul mate" Ana whimpered pathetically after a few minutes in silence, rivers of tears running down her face.

"The Goblet is never wrong, my dear" Dumbledore said back softly. "The Goblet is never wrong."

* * *

_**I just want to thank all the new reviews, favourites and followers. You guys motivate me to write faster, so if you do the math...**_

_**More reviews=Faster updates ;-)**_

_**Sephoria x**_


	9. Chapter 8 - Aftermath

**__****Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**

_**Sorry for the long wait for this update, i didn't realise that i hadn't update for a while. I apologise if it seems a bit weird or if there is more mistakes than usual, i'm battling a cold/fever at the moment.**_

_**R&R**_

_Parseltongue (underlined)_ - words said in parseltongue

_Thoughts - _words said in the mind

* * *

**Chapter 8 – The Aftermath**

The dark wooden door slammed loudly against the stone wall as Slytherin stormed into his personal chambers. His magic snapping the door closed behind him, he let out an almighty roar of frustration and anger. Pacing up and down aggressively, he muttered under his breath rapidly, ignoring the questioning hisses from his familiar, Nagini.

"Why are you making all this noise?" an older dark haired man demanded from a large portrait above the marble black fireplace.

"_Yes, I would like to know as well__" _Nagini added in angrily, "_He's been ignoring me Salazar__" _

"_Well__?" _Salazar questioned as he watched Tom finally stop pacing and hunch over the top of his armchair, breathing harshly.

"_That wretched girl__" _Tom began quietly; his voice dripping with malice, "_She ridged the Goblet! How dare she even think- How dare she even show her face!"_He shouted, flipping the armchair over in another fit of anger. Angry hisses erupted from Nagini, as she slithered closer to the warmth of the fireplace and away from her master.

"_Calm yourself__" _Salazar said sharply, frowning at his heir's behavior. "_What do you mean she ridged the Goblet? And who is __**she**__?"_

Taking another deep breath, nostrils flaring, Tom began "_At the Halloween Feast, the Goblet chose me, finally, after years of watching it unite others. I looked around and there she was; glowing. She was glowing. Why was she glowing?!"_He exploded once more; his magic causing the furniture to vibrate violently around him.

"_I fail to see a problem. Now you have a mate to breed with and finally create hatchlings__" _Nagini said, curling up tighter.

"_Breed with! Breed with!"_Tom almost screeched, whirling round to face Nagini, "_You expect me to lay with that unlawful filth they call a girl?" _

"_Enough__" _Salazar cut in harshly, "_I did not raise you to be this uncontrolled heathen."_ Seeing that he now had Tom's undivided attention he continued, _"Now tell us about your soul mate, so we can fully analyze the situation."_

"_S-She is but a child__" _Tom said, deflating into his black leather sofa "_Weak and impressionable. Barely sixteen summers old. She is smart enough, but her magic. Her magic is __**so**__ weak; she is barely of average strength. How can she be my…"_

"_A weak mate?"_Nagini said confused.

"_Maybe she hides her true potential?"_Salazar suggested with a frown, obviously not liking the picture of the girl Tom had painted.

"_She is a mudblood in Slytherin, there is no reason for her to hide her potential__" _Tom said weakly, all the anger draining out of him to only leave despair.

"_A mudblood…"_the older male said to himself, disbelief flashing in his eyes. Silence prevailed throughout the small sitting room, as they all digested the series of events. "_Perhaps this is a good thing. Perhaps there is something to be gained from this situation"_

"_What could possibly be good about having a magical weak mudblood as the next Lady Slytherin?" _Tom asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice like venom.

Frowning, the older Slytherin continued "_Her blood though dirty, may carry what is needed to make the Slytherin line even stronger. Magic would not have chosen her if she were not suited for the role of Lady Slytherin. Unorthodox as it is, we must take the blessing Magic has bestowed upon our line__."_

"_Blessing?"_Tom said, chuckling darkly as he rose. "_You're starting to sound like that crack pot old fool Dumbledore. There is no blessing. She is not my mate__" _He finished, striding out of the sitting room determinedly.

* * *

Ana walked slowly back to the common room; the feeling of dread making her drag her feet along the ground. _If I ever get my hands on Filch, I'll skin him alive _Ana irately in her head, _I need to talk to the gang. _Stopping outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room, she wiped the anger off her face and put her mask back on.

A deadly silence seemed to blanket the common room as everyone turned to look at her as she entered. Her face flushing red, she dropped her head down but not before noticing Narcissa comforting a crying Bellatrix. Nobody said anything as they watched Ana make her way to her dorm.

Closing the door behind her, Ana quickly moved to her bed; putting up a strong privacy ward as she went.

"Everyone" she commanded as she tapped her crystal necklace with a wand.

Ana sat back against her pillows as she watched the crystal project 5 greyish circles of mist into the air so they hung around her bed in a crude semicircle. The first circle to define itself was Leo's; his messy dark blonde hair and sleepy brown eyes showed he had just woken up. Ana wasn't surprised to see Leo first; he was always the first to answer.

"We're waiting for the others" she said to Leo, who just nodded and tried to tame his hair.

The next one to appear was a girl with light blonde hair and dark grey eyes. She fluffed up her hair and smirked at Ana.

"Long time no see" the female said.

"Miss me much?" Ana said, smirking back.

"Cass" Leo said, greeting the blonde female.

"Leo" Cass said back. As they waited for the others, Ana quickly put her wild hair up into a messy ponytail.

"I don't know how you can deal with that hair" Cass said watching.

"Believe me, it's not easy" Ana replied smiling.

The third one to answer was a small Chinese girl with long ink black hair and light amber coloured eyes.

"What's up?" she asked, popping the gum she was chewing.

"We're waiting for the others, Mai" Leo explained. The girl, now known as Mai, nodded her head in understanding.

"Your brother?" Ana questioned Cass with an air of impatience.

"I don't know where he is" she explained nervously, "I'm sure he'll answer soon."

Humming in response, Ana watched the fourth circle change to show a tall dark skinned girl. Her short black hair and slightly slanted light brown eyes coming into sharp focus.

"Eva" Ana said to the new arrival.

"Ana" Eva said back smoothly. "Are we just waiting for Tom?"

"Of course" Mai said irritably.

Finally Tom appeared from the last circle; his blonde hair scruffy and grey eyes wary.

"Sorry I took so long" he started, "I-"

"It does not matter" Ana said cutting him off. "Now that all of you are here, I can finally begin. I'm sure Leo has updated all of you in regards to Lord Slytherin." Hearing their affirmative noises, she carried on "Well tonight, he found out that I was his soul mate"

"How?" Mai questioned a frown between her brows.

"Hogwarts have a Halloween tradition where a Goblet announces soul mate pairings"

"A Goblet?" Cass said incredulity in her voice.

"Yes a Goblet" Ana snapped, "It was somehow linked strongly to the ambient magic surrounding Hogwarts. The power coming off of it was intense. I find the whole practice quite stupid actually. I mean these people actually wait around for years hoping this Goblet will choose them and show them their one true love" she finished in a mocking tone. Electing laughs from everyone around her, Ana relaxed further back on her pillows.

"How did people react?" Leo asked.

"Slytherin was royally pissed as you can expect and of course, I had to play the confused naive girl as usual" Ana answered, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Do you think we'll need to bring out our safeguard?" Eva asked seriously.

"No, no need for that" she answered back quickly.

"Safeguard?" Tom questioned, looking round at everyone.

"The horcrux" Mai said, answering his question.

"Eva, how are things going with the Prophet?" Ana suddenly asked, eyes piercing.

"Slow" the dark skinned girl admitted, "they're reluctant to hire new people, so we have to convert the workers from the outside instead of inside like we had hoped. We have some people on our side, but things could be better."

"I really need you to step up" Ana said, "I can't have my face plastered on the front pages of the news, least it make it easier for _**him **_to find me."

"I know, Ana" Eva said, "I'll work harder to fix the problems"

"Leo, have you found anything on Dumbledore yet?"

"No" he answered frowning, "There seems to be something but it's so well covered up, I can't be sure"

"Work with Mai on this" Ana ordered, "Her resources should make it easier"

"Ok" both Mai and Leo said.

"Tom, Cass, are you keeping track of _**his**_ movements?" Ana said to the blonde twins.

"Of course" Tom answered back confidently. "He's still looking in Siberia. We think he'll probably follow your trail down through Kazakhstan to China, where Mai will be able to keep a closer eye on him."

"Good" Ana replied satisfied, "Just keep his focus away from Britain"

"And what of the soul mate problem?" Cass asked, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

"Depending on how he deals with the situation, I will act accordingly" Ana said. "Does anyone have anything to bring to my notice?" Seeing no one did, she finished "If that's all"

Hanging up abruptly, Ana sank further into her bed before taking a swig from her silver flask. Massaging her temples, she refused to think of what the next couple of days would bring. _Why do I have to deal with crap like this?_ she thought, as she drifted to sleep.

* * *

_**R&R**_

_**Sorry for the inconsistencies regarding the parseltongue. Fanfiction wouldn't allow me to correct it for some reason. **_

_**Sephoria x**_


	10. Chapter 9 - The Meaning of Mercy

___**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**R&R**_

_Thoughts/Letters/Newspapers_

_**Emphasis**_

**_Spells_**

**Chapter 9 – The Meaning of Mercy**

* * *

**_Lady Slytherin Found!_**

_Yes, Ladies and Gentleman, the rumours are true. Lord Marvolo Slytherin, heir to the illustrious Slytherin line, has finally found his soul mate and future Lady Slytherin._

_Last night at Hogwarts annual Halloween Ball, the world famous and acclaimed Goblet of Fire finally picked Britain's most eligible bachelor to mate. The Goblet having served Hogwarts in such a way since its creation by Helga Hufflepuff, has become a built in tradition for every teacher and student to have ever passed through those grey stone walls. The Goblet is legendary for having matched significant individuals such as numerous Ministers of Magic, world renowned healers and the best Aurors to have ever served in Britain._

_Eye witness reports state that Lord Slytherin's impressive magical aura, normally never seen, stretched at least three feet in all directions, further given credence to Lord Slytherin's title of Britain's most eligible bachelor._

_Now, I'm sure all of you are dying to know who this elusive Lady Slytherin is. My dear readers, you shall wait no longer, insiders have confirmed that the future Lady Slytherin is a young girl of the name Miss. Anastasia Harrow. Not much is known about her except that she is sixteen years of age, a transfer student from Belgium and a muggleborn._

_Yes readers, I was surprised as you to find out the future Lady Slytherin is a muggleborn. But before we all jump to conclusions, it should be noted that Miss Harrow is the top scoring student in her year group, with marks that those of normal intelligence could only dream of._

_This reporter will make it her duty to find out more information about this mysterious Anastasia Harrow to satisfy yours and my own burning curiosities._

_For more information on Lord Slytherin's Most Eligible Bachelor status, refer to page seven._

_For more information on the Goblet of Fire's triumphs, refer to page ten._

_Written by Rita Skeeter. _

Ana loosened the strangle hold she had on the Daily Prophet as she slowly placed it down on the table in front of her. She supposed she shouldn't be too surprised that that article was front page news, in fact she was quite amazed they hadn't mentioned anything in the lesser important newspapers that were delivered over the weekend. Dipping her head to stare into her morning porridge, she once again used her wild curly black hair to hide behind.

The whisper conversations from the students around her seemed to buzz noisily in her ears like a thousand flies. It was obvious that nearly everyone in the Great Hall was talking about the Halloween Ball and Slytherin's continued mysterious absences from the Great Hall over the weekend and this morning. To add to what Ana was sure to be a depressing day if not week, she was a tab bit apprehensive about the Slytherins. Some now looked at her as she were an interesting new species of witch whilst others, mainly females, stared at her with so much hatred she was surprised they hadn't been able to burn a hole in her head yet.

Pushing her half eaten bowl of porridge away, she stood and quickly escaped the increasingly stifling atmosphere in the Great Hall. Walking slowly to her first class of the day, she ignored the tightness in the pit of her stomach as she waited outside the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom. Leaning against the stone wall, she could just make out the noises Slytherin made as he wondered about his classroom. Clutching her bag close to her chest, she sipped her flask leisurely; already feeling her daily headache coming on.

Mad cackles suddenly travelled down the hall causing Ana to stiffen and quickly put her potion away. Turning slowly she spotted Daphne and Pansy walking towards her, surrounded by their usual cohorts.

"Congratulations Harrow, I can't believe you actually found a way to make yourself look even more desperate and pathetic than originally thought" Daphne cackled, relishing in the laughs that erupted from those behind her. Keeping her mouth shut, Ana just glared at the blonde sixth year. "I mean, tricking the Goblet of Fire" Daphne continued, "that's an all time low, even for you."

"I didn't do anything" Ana insisted, as she watched their approach warily, "I didn't even know what the Goblet was, until later that night." Ana suddenly felt a thick strand of heavy dark magic caress her spine, causing her to jerk forward unexpectedly. She knew even before she span around that Slytherin was standing behind her. Looking up into his navy eyes in surprise, she felt her headache explode painfully behind her right eye, blinding her for a quick second as she was thrown into a vision but quickly expelled again. Feeling nauseous, she hastily dropped her gaze and breathed deeply through her mouth, calming her rapidly beating heart.

"Everyone in" Slytherin said gruffly. It was at that point that Ana became aware of the fact that the rest of the class had shown up. _Damn it, he's so distracting_ she grumbled in her head as she took her usual seat at the back.

"Today, I'll be checking to see who is managing to keep up with the course and who is falling behind" Slytherin said before flicking his wand and floating test papers to everyone in the room "you have one hour."

The groans from the students were quickly silenced by one swift look from Slytherin. The atmosphere was tense, much like in the Great Hall; with sneaking glances at both Ana and Slytherin. Ana felt her blush deepen as she realised what extend Slytherin was going to in order to reduce whatever contact they might have. Even his magic had retreated so much so that she could no longer feel it. The lack of contact was surprisingly upsetting for Ana. Soon the hour passed and the class were packing up to leave.

"Harrow! Stay behind" Slytherin suddenly announced, not looking up from the work on his desk. The effect was simultaneous; every student froze and wiped their eyes to Ana. Flushing deeply to her roots, she ducked her head to hide the narrowing of her eyes. "Out" Slytherin hissed; spurring the remaining students into action.

Leaving the two of them alone in the classroom, Ana shuffled awkwardly on two feet as she stared at Slytherin. He had yet to move from his desk or even look at her.

"Sir..." Ana questioned her voice a little higher than normal.

"Dumbledore's office, 7 pm tonight" he finally said, after a few tense minutes. Looking straight into her pale green orbs, he finished "Don't be late."

* * *

Ana scowled as she stood once again outside the stone gargoyle leading to the Headmaster's office, contemplating how she was going to get in when Slytherin failed to give her the password. Assuming it was the same as before she stated clearly, "Pepper Imps." Walking up the stone steps, she wiped her face clean of any signs of irritation and assumed her mask of naive and confused. Knocking gently on the door she waited patiently.

The swung open to reveal Dumbledore sitting at his desk, Professor McGonagall sitting on a chair, Slytherin hovering near the back of the room and a strange older male Ana had never meet.

"Come in, dear" Dumbledore said kindly, making Ana's stomach turn. Resisting the urge to sneer, Ana took a place next to McGonagall ignoring Slytherin's presence. "As you can see, we have a visitor. This is Mr Henry Cade" he continued, gesturing to the other old man in the room. Ana quickly took the opportunity to study him. The male seemed really quite old with a scruffy unkempt bread and dirty grey hair. His robes were a dull black and tattered in places, not unlike Ana's own, and his body seemed fragile and weak. His eyes though, seemed to hold deep knowledge; immediately putting Ana on edge. She smiled nervously at him and received a beaming smile in return. Somehow not recoiling from the shock of seeing his yellow cracked teeth, Ana turned back to Dumbledore.

"Forgive me Sir, but I'm not quite sure why I'm here" Ana admitted quietly.

"You did not tell her Tom" McGonagall piped up disapprovingly. Leaning up against one of Dumbledore's numerous bookcases, Slytherin sneered at McGonagall but remained silent.

"Mr. Cade was called in by Professor Slytherin in order to validate the fact that you two are soul mates. Henry here is quite the expert when it comes to these sorts of things" Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. "Mr. Cade if you will"

"Fabulous" Cade said, suddenly springing up. "My dear if you will" he said to Ana smiling with almost child-like glee. He gestured for her to stand before him in the middle of the room. "Now what is your name, child?"

"Anastasia Harrow" she replied biting her bottom lip anxiously; Slytherin's rock hard gaze piercing her in the back.

"Lovely name, lovely name. Now Anastasia, I'm going to need you to focus on your magic with as much concentration as you possibly can, ok" he said to her slowly, ignoring Slytherin's snort in the background. Nodding shakily, she quickly wrapped her aura tight around her and connected to her magical core as she watched Cade sort out Slytherin so that he was facing her directly. Avoiding his glare, Ana studied her shoes. "I need both of you to hold hands and put the other hand on this glass ball" Cade suddenly announced.

Swallowing the bile rising up in her throat, Ana daintily placed her hand in the hand Slytherin had stiffly lifted and touched the large glass ball in Cade's hands. Letting out a shaky breath and trying to control her tremors, Ana ruthlessly ignored the feeling of Slytherin's dark and heavy magic creeping up her hand. His hand felt soft, firm and ice cold, a stark contrast to her hot and clammy ones. Choosing instead to focus on the glass ball, she watched it first half fill with grey smoke and then rapidly clear.

"A most conclusive result!" Cade announced loudly, rocking on the balls of his feet.

"Is that all?" Slytherin said incredulously, the tightening of his hand showing his displeasure.

"Yep" Cade said happily, popping the 'p', "Congratulations, you two are indeed soul mates. A very good match judging by how fast the smoke cleared."

Whipping his hand away from hers violently, Slytherin scowled, "Another one. There must be more tests"

"Well yes" Cade replied confused. "One more, but really this confirms it. The other just shows if your magic is compatible with each others. I don't know why you are so upset Lord Slytherin, having a soul mate is a most glorious thing."

"Indeed" Dumbledore agreed, smiling largely.

"Really Tom, stop this nonsense. Having these tests done won't change anything" McGonagall insisted.

"Another" Slytherin demanded darkly.

"Very well" Cade sighed. "Your wands please"

Slytherin gave his wand to the man and everyone turned to Ana, waiting for her to do the same.

"Wand?" she said anxiously, stepping back "Why do you need my wand?"

"For the test, dear" Cade replied gently, "Don't worry, I'm just going to make sure that they're compatible for the test"

"Mr. Cade is one of Britain's highest ranking wand experts. Your wand will be safe with him" Dumbledore reassured.

Her body tense, she gingerly gave up her wand, watching Cade's face and movements vigilantly.

"Now let's see" he mumbled to himself as he examined Slytherin's white wand closer. "Ahh yes typical of the British, an Ollivander creation. Yew and phoenix hair, am I right?"

Slytherin nodded, before snatching his wand back and retreating to the back of the room.

"Hmm" Cade hummed as he lifted Ana's wand for a closer look. Watching him closely, Ana noticed when his eyes widened and forehead broke out into a sweat. Glancing at her, Ana could see the fear in his eyes. She smiled gently at him and gave him a look; a look that said _**if-you-so-much-as-mention-what-you-know-things-wil l-become-very-painful-for-you**_. "A G-Gregorovitch creation" he stumbled tensely, "Acacia and unicorn hair."

Ana quickly took her wand back and looked at Cade expectantly.

"Well?" Slytherin barked.

"Y-Yes" the older wizard stuttered again. "If you two just perform this spell" he said, showing them the spell and wand movements quickly.

At the same time, both of them muttered "_**anima feminam**_". Two identical streams of silver sparks shot from them wands, immediately twining together to create a large circle.

"See, soul mates" Cade concluded, when they looked at him. "Now I really must be off. Thank you Headmaster Dumbledore" he said quickly, before bowing jerkily at everyone and almost running out the room.

"See Tom, was that really necessary" Dumbledore said happily, "Mr. Cade just managed to confirm everything we already knew. You two are soul mates and it would be a waste of everyone's time if you continue to look for ways to dispute that"

Watching Slytherin storm from his office, Dumbledore turned to her with a pleasant expression and said, "How about some tea with Professor McGonagall and I, dear?"

* * *

Ana stood silently outside a small quaint cottage in the dead of night; dressed in black jeans and a black tank top, she blended into the darkness easily. Slowly chipping away at the wards surrounding the property, she let the rest of her magic roam the area checking for other beings and possible traps. Effortlessly creating a hole in the wards, she slipped through and silently stalked closer to the house. Finding a decent size window, she silently casted a spell which popped the glass out of its frame and allowed her to enter the property noiselessly.

Ignoring the mess around her, Ana made her way through the cottage until she came to a door that she knew held her prize. Pushing it open slightly, after having silenced any creaks it might have had, she walked into the bedroom. Hovering over her prey she lifted her wand and sent a jet of ice cold water into her target's face.

Spluttering and coughing Cade jerked up and visibly tensed when he saw her "H-how?"

"Did you really think those piss poor defences would be able to keep me out?"

"P-Please" he begged as he clutched his bed covers closer to his chest; his wild shivering and now dripping hair made for a sorry sight. "Please, I didn't tell anyone I swear."

"Hmm" Ana hummed as she walked leisurely around the room, tapping her wand to her plump red lips in contemplation.

"Acacia intertwined with Silver Lime wood and the heartstrings of a Sphinx drenched in your own blood for a core; a wand made for a powerful dark seer. I did not tell them this, you know" he said desperately, "And created by Grindelwald himself! Please your secrets are safe with me, Lady Thalia"

"You cannot guarantee that" she said blankly, as she turned to face him. Her green eyes seemed to glow brightly in the dull light of the moon, despite their paleness.

"Have mercy, my Lady" he called, shaking violently "Mercy!"

"Lady Thalia does not know the meaning of Mercy" Ana quoted mindlessly, before shooting a thick dark purple spell at the old wand expert. The spell hit him in the middle of the chest, where it sluggishly seeped into his chest. Ana left the old man sleeping peacefully, being sure to wipe away any traces of her magic signature before she apparated back to Hogwarts.

* * *

"_**anima feminam**_" - soul mate in Latin (un-inventive i know ;)

**Read and reviews please, i love hearing your thoughts and theories on the story. It can sometimes spark some inspiration in me, which causes a whole new sub-plot!**

**Sephoria x**


	11. Chapter 10 - Addictive

___**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**R&R**_

_Thoughts/Letters/Newspapers_

_**Emphasis**_

**_Spells_**

**_Warnings- There is a lot of swearing in this chapter._**

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Addictive**

A couple of days passed uneventfully but things had yet to die down, not that Ana thought they would. Students and staff alike were still speculating on whether she had tricked the Goblet and on the fact that Slytherin had yet to turn up to dine in the Great Hall since Halloween. Ana had managed to avoid most of the Slytherins, especially Bellatrix who was rumored to have gotten over her shock and was out for Ana's blood since she had stolen _**her man**_. She still hadn't had a proper conversation with Slytherin about what was going to happen now that it was announced they were soul mates. He was still shunning her presence and everyone could tell that he was unhappy with the match.

Reporters had aslo flooded into Hogwarts from numerous publications and had been sniffing around the castle constantly to try and get more information on her and why Slytherin had all but disappeared from the public eye. Right now the reporters were Ana's biggest problem, for they had the unpleasant habit of taking pictures of her when she least expected it. She couldn't have her picture in the newspapers in case _**he**_ saw them, but she also couldn't take the blurring potion she invented to blur her features, as it was known that Lady Thalia Hart used that method. It would heap unnecessary suspicion upon her and draw _**him **_closer, defeating the whole purpose for using that method. As a result she was forced to rely on her wild curly black hair to hide her face and her magic to sense the hidden photographers; a feat in itself considering there were hundreds of other people milling about the castle as well.

What was worst was that she was sure one or more reporters were following her movements, meaning she couldn't visit her secret chamber deep in the heart of the dungeons to keep her magical levels low and skills sharp. Ana was pretty sure that if she disappeared for hours at a time that the reporters would spin some ridiculous story that would attract even more attention to her.

Because of all of this, she was itchy, frustrated, angry and magical bloated when she accidently knocked into Weasley and his sidekicks later that morning.

"Watch where you're going, Slytherin scum" Weasley exploded unexpectedly, obviously looking for a fight. As he whipped around to face her, she noticed that his face had turned the same colour as his hair and that his hands were clenched by his side.

"Sorry" Ana mumbled, her eyes flittering from side to side as she watched as a crowd gathered around them. Trying to get past him, she was almost thrown onto the floor when Weasley shoved her back.

"Ron" Granger gasped; hands to chest, as she watched Ana stumbled erratically.

"Quiet Hermione" Weasley spat viciously, not even bothering to glance in her direction. "You think just because you're fucking Slytherin that you own the school. You think you're better than all of us" he shouted.

Ana flushed heavily at what he said and turned to leave the Great Hall but was blocked by other Gryffindors. Panicking slightly when she felt her magic start to stir suggestively at being surrounded by all sides, she fingered her wand discretely.

"Look Weasley, I don't want any trouble. I'm as happy with this match as you are" she said seriously, trying to diffuse the situation so her magic wouldn't lash out.

"Merlin, you disgust me!" Weasley continued, breathing harshly and getting louder and louder as he ignored the quiet pleadings of Granger. "You were meant to be one of us. You're muggleborn! Instead you're too busy sucking Slytherin's balls. We could have been great"

"Is this what this is about? You have some weird obsessive crush on me" Ana laughed cruelly at him, breaking character for a minute, "I wouldn't touch you with a twelve foot wand, let alone anything less."

With an almost manic look in his eyes, Weasley grabbed his wand clumsily and aimed it at her. Not even having time to utter a syllable, his wand was suddenly summoned from his grip.

"Detention for the next two weeks and a hundred and fifty points from Gryffindor" Slytherin announced furiously as he made his way through the crowd. Moans and complaints rippled throughout the Gryffindors in the crowd as they watched their house points disappear. Slytherin was quickly followed by most of the Hogwarts staff and a few wandering reporters, who ignored the student's grumbles and focused their attention on what was taking place in front of them.

"Getting Slytherin to save you now" Weasley sneered at her, fire in his blue eyes. "I guess you really must be a good little whore." Gasps erupted from the crowd as they waited for the Head of Slytherin's response. Most of the crowd's eyes darted from her to Slytherin's, further putting Ana on edge.

"Detention for another two weeks, Mr. Weasley" McGonagall said through clenched teeth. "I've never witnessed such disgusting behavior and for it to come from one of my lions…" McGonagall trailed off as she started to drag Weasley from the Great Hall.

As the crowd was parting, Weasley turned round with a satisfying smirk and shouted, "You shouldn't be taking me away, you should be dragging her away! She's the one who's a danger to all of us." Hearing this Ana felt her blood turn to ice. _How did Weasley of all people figure me out? _She thought in fear as she slowly turned to face him.

"What do you mean?" Skeeter jumped in suddenly; quill and parchment hovering near her blonde curls.

"I know what you are" Weasley said, ignoring Skeeter and directing his comment at Ana.

"And what is that?" she said with a light laugh; her heart thumping hard against her breasts.

"A drug addict!" the red headed boy yelled with pleasure. There was a shocked silence, before Ana burst out laughing at his accusation. Seeing this most people began to move away, obviously disappointed that there was no new gossip. "It's true" Weasley insisted desperately, yanking his hand from McGonagall's grip. "I have proof!" This stopped people in their tracks and sobered Ana up quickly as she looked at him incredulously.

"That is a very serious accusation, Mr. Weasley" Dumbledore said gravely, finally deciding to get involved. "Are you sure you want to pursue this?"

"Professor, she has this silver flask that she always drinks out of. She always looks ill and in pain before drinking it and better after. She's had it for months and hides it away when people are near" the redhead said quickly in excitement. The only one who looked possibly more excited than him was Rita Skeeter, who had a positively gleeful expression on her face. Ana felt her face drain of colour as she kept her expression impassive. _Fuck_ she thought in her mind.

"Miss Harrow, do you have this flask?" Dumbledore asked her slowly as he watched her. Seeing her hesitation, he added "There is no use in lying, we will find out."

"Yes Professor I do" she said shakily, trying to ignore the shocked and disapproving sounds moving throughout the crowd, "but it's just my headache potion, I suffer from really painful migraines."

"I'm afraid you'll have to give over the flask, Miss Harrow" Dumbledore explained with a frown. An expression that was reflected in most of the Hogwarts staff's faces. Reluctantly removing it from her robes, she gingerly placed it in his old and wrinkled hand. Carved intricately on the small silver flask outlined in golden thread was a blind Sphinx clutching a white rose. He handed the flask to Professor Slughorn who sniffed the potion and took a light sip.

"Well" Slughorn announced to the eager people, seemly enjoying so many eyes focused on him. "It does taste and smell like a headache potion, but there is something else which I can't quite put my finger on. I'll have to take it away for testing."

"Why?" Ana cried out as eyes swiveled to her, "It's just a headache potion, it probably tastes different because it was brewed in Belgium."

"Nevertheless Miss Harrow, you shouldn't be taking potions for such long periods of time" Dumbledore explained firmly, "You'll be getting a full physical from Madam Pomfrey to ensure it hasn't done any lasting damage."

"But I swear it's not a drug, it's not addictive" Ana protested as she was shuffled out of the Great Hall. Passing Weasley on the way, she barely resisted the urge to punch his smug face in. _He is so going to regret this_ she thought irately, eyes flashing brightly.

* * *

"This is not needed" Ana protested in the hospital wing. She was surrounded by Dumbledore, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. Slytherin had managed to skulk off somewhere and some of the other staff was dealing with Weasley and the mess he had created in the Great Hall.

"Again Miss Harrow, we just need to check on your health. Most potions shouldn't be taken for such long periods of time" Dumbledore said, hands clasped behind his back.

"How long have you been taken this potion?" Pomfrey said, bustling around her in an irritating way. _Nearly my entire life_ she thought in her head. "Just for about a month and a half" she replied, resisting the compulsion to roll her eyes. "It was prescribed by my healer in Belgium" she finished.

"Your healer gave it to you? For such a long time?" McGonagall asked shocked.

"Yes" Ana said exasperatedly, "that's probably why it tastes different. It's meant to be taken over long periods of time"

"Well we'll have to check that" Pomfrey said frowning, waving her wand over the curly black haired student. Ana quickly blanket her body with a thin layer of her magic, hiding most of her past injuries that had been left on her body from the days she used to spend with _**him**_.

"Well" Pomfrey said, reading the glowing lights coming out of Ana's body, "It doesn't seem to have done any lasting damage and my readings do confirm that you are susceptible to migraines and headaches"

"See" Ana said jumping off the hospital bed, "Can I have my stuff back now?"

"Not yet, Miss Harrow" Dumbledore said, "It stills needs to be checked, after all you didn't register this potion in with the Hospital Wing as such we had to treat all unregistered potions as suspicious"

"When will I get it back?" she sighed; plans flying through her head as she discarded some and perfected others.

"When Professor Slughorn is done testing it" Dumbledore said with finality.

* * *

Ana burst violently through the metal black door; slamming it shut behind her in anger. She felt her wards lock into place and relaxed slightly in the comforting hum of her magic. The room she entered was a large rectangle made out of dark black stone and had holes in the walls where chains and such used to hang. There were two large windows opposite each other on the longer length walls. One showed the Hogwarts grounds and the other was charmed to show the corridor used to get to the chamber. This way she was able to look out for anybody wandering around the dungeons near her base and avoid or get rid of them. Drawn on the floor between these windows was a large rune circle, that Ana used to centre her magic. She often released all of her magic and then reined it in rapidly; an exercise that increased her control and power. Opposite the door was a large deep oak table filled with potions, weapons and other magical items that Ana thought would be useful at some point. It was by no means all the items she had acquired over the years, but it was enough to help her through her stay at Hogwarts. Ana marched over to her armory; clutching her crystal necklace tightly in her hands as she called for Leonardo.

"Yes Ana" he answered in her head promptly.

"I need you to send me a long term use headache potion and a Belgium healer's note prescribing it to me. And I need them now!"

"On it" Leo said quickly, "May I ask why?"

"That little red headed shit!" Ana fumed as she paced agitatedly, "They found my flask full of the modified headache potion"

"Why is that bad?" Leo pushed hesitantly, well aware of her dark mood.

"Because you moron" Ana hissed, "That specific type of modified potion is designed to be able to use for years on end with no detrimental effects and as such is only used by seers. Someone smart enough could put two and two together and find me out!"

"But wouldn't the long term use potion be the same as your modified one?"

"No!" she exploded, "Seers react badly with the long term one. It messes with our head, our vision. Don't you know anything?"

"Sorr-"

"Where is the stuff?" she nearly screamed.

"I've just sent it across" the Italian boy said quickly. Hearing a ping from a large mahogany box on the table, Ana quickly opened it to find the items she requested. "If you nee-"

Hanging up on him, Ana grabbed the stuff in the box and a handful of metallic spheres on the table and stormed out of the chamber. _That shit head is going to get it_ she fumed in her mind.

* * *

_**Read and Review!**_

_**Read and Review!**_

_**READ AND REVIEW!**_

_**Sephoria x**_


	12. Chapter 11 - Regret

___**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**R&R**_

_Thoughts/Letters/Newspapers_

_Spells_

* * *

**Chapter 11- Regret**

Later that night found Ana once again dressed head to toe in black and hovering outside a room. The room in question was actually Professor Slughorn's office. She had charmed all the portraits in the corridor to sleep and had managed to pick the lock on his door to avoid having her magical signature embedded in it; a safety precaution she knew most locks now had. Before entering she opened the door slightly, shot a silent and invisible spell into the middle of the room where it split into smaller invisible beams and hit any portraits that might have been hanging up in Slughorn's office. Knowing that they had now been put to sleep, she slipped quietly into the room, shutting the door silently behind her.

"Point me Ana's potion" she whispered as she let her magical senses spread in all directions. Following the pull of the wand she quickly located her potion in a secret compartment in Slughorn's desk and swapped it with the potion Leo had sent to her. That now done she stepped back into the middle of the room and said "Point me Slughorn."

Once again following the pull of her wand she was directed to a large sleeping portrait just behind and to the right of his desk. "_Dominari_" she whispered, tapping her wand against the sleeping painting. The door swung inwards and she stepped through carefully. Moving through Slughorn's personal quarters she found his bedroom and stopped at the foot of his bed. Pulling a small metallic sphere from her pocket she set it down gently next to his feet and watched as it latched onto his foot, burrowed underneath his skin and moved upwards towards his brain. She moved silently with its progression, stopping near his head when the moving bump got to his brain.

She watched as Slughorn's body suddenly gave a sharp jerk and his eyes flew open. He gazed emptily up at his ceiling as he waited for further instructions.

"Do you know who you are?" she asked him in a bored tone, perching on the edge of the bed.

"Yes Mistress" he replied vacantly "I am Professor Horace Slughorn. I teach Potions a-"

"Yes yes" Ana said hurriedly, cutting him off. "Anastasia Harrow's potion you received today, have you analyzed it?"

"No Mistress" he said, not having blinked since he opened his eyes "I was going to do it in the morning."

"Do you have any theories on the potion and/or Miss Harrow?"

"Miss Harrow is a smart and intelligent girl" he replied, "She wouldn't do drugs. Her potion is not a drug."

"What is her potion?"

"A simple headache potion"

"Is there anything else you would like to add on the subject?" she said tiredly.

"No Mistress."

"Good" Ana said snappily, "You will erase this conversation from your mind and analyze the potion as planned."

"Yes Mistress" Slughorn said before promptly going back to sleep.

Ana slipped out of Slughorn's office, casting an invisibility spell on herself and made her way to the higher levels in the castle. Casting her magical senses out, she quickly located two people on the fourth floor and silently made her way towards them. Rounding the corner, she spotted two young Gryffindors making out by an empty classroom. _Perfect_ she thought darkly, as she noted the absence of paintings in the corridor. Throwing two metal spheres on the floor, she watched as they jumped apart at the noise and looked at the spheres that had stopped by their feet.

"What ar-" the girl started to say before the spheres suddenly jumped up and latched onto their faces. Watching them struggle, Ana stepped closer to them and waited for the spheres to take effect.

"Names" she demanded once they were silent.

"Ellie Hopkins, second year Gryffindor student" the girl said mindlessly, tear tracks visible from where she cried as she struggled.

"Greg James, third year Gryffindor student" the boy said blankly; harsh red marks peppering his face from where he had tried to pull the sphere off.

"Why aren't you in your common room?" Ana asked out of curiosity, after all it had just gone two in the morning and she didn't expect such young students to still be out.

"The Prefects sometimes wake up and check the common room in the middle of the night, Mistress" the boy replied.

"I want you to attack Weasley when he is alone. The spheres will give you the knowledge to execute a satisfactory job" she said, smirking darkly.

"Yes Mistress" they both replied together.

"Take these potions before you attack" she explained as she handed them small glass vials which contained a mud-like potion and had a lock of brown hair strapped onto it.

"Yes Mistress"

"You will hide until the potion wears off and then forget the incident entirely" Ana explained further, "Do you understand?"

"Yes Mistress" they replied together again.

"You will ensure nobody sees or suspects you" Ana stated. Seeing them nod, Ana added maliciously "Don't do anything I wouldn't."

The two younger students smirk evilly back at her and said "We won't let you down Mistress."

"Good" Ana said happily, "At ease." Immediately the two students relaxed and started to giggle quietly as they made their way back to the common room, hugging and kissing along the way. Not seeing Ana since she was still invisible they didn't notice when she stood in the corridor staring after them.

* * *

**Lady Slytherin, Drug Addict?**

_My dear readers, in my quest to quench your curiosities about the next Lady Slytherin, I have spent many days at Hogwarts trying to find more information on this elusive Miss Harrow. And yesterday, I may have stumbled onto a golden nugget. Yesterday morning, Miss Harrow was involved in a confrontation with the youngest male of the Weasley family. Mr. Ronald Weasley started a quarrel with Miss Harrow and even went so far as to push the young girl so she was almost lifted off her feet. Miss Harrow admirably tried to diffuse the situation, attempting to walk away many times and not even raising her voice or wand, despite threatening advances from the students around her._

_As Mr. Weasley was being escorted from the Great Hall after having said many a vile thing about Lord Slytherin, so vile in fact that this reporter will not repeat them, he accused Miss Harrow of being a drug addict._

_Now, I was as shocked as you about the accusations. Miss Harrow a drug addict, surely not! But readers it was revealed that Miss Harrow did in fact carry and use a potion that she had not registered with the Hospital Wing. Why did she find it necessary to hide the potion? Was it a simple mistake? Are these all lies concocted by an obsessive lovesick teenager, who is angry at missing his chance with Miss Harrow? Is our future Lady Slytherin actually a drug addict, addicted to headache potions?_

_These are the questions that I will endeavor to find out._

_For more information on the risks and hazards of potion taking please see page 4_

_For help combating an addition, refer to page 8._

_Written by Rita Skeeter_

_Well at least she seems to like me_ Ana grumbled in her head, as she read the morning newspaper. Slytherin had once again forgone the need to dine in the Great Hall and as such she was forced to endure the stares alone. Forcing herself to finish her porridge, least they start a rumor about her being anorexic or some nonsense like that.

Suddenly screams could be heard from just outside the Great Hall, causing all the teachers to jump up and rush to the noise. Many students followed them, including Ana, excited to see what was going on. Hearing sobbing and loud voices, Ana slipped through the crowd and finally saw what was causing the commotion.

Lying at the foot of the stairwell was Ron Weasley. His face was badly beaten, with both of his eyes swelled shut and his nose nearly flattened. Most of his skin was either a shade of purple, black or blue, with random gashes and deep burns peppering his body. His arms were bent at an odd angle showing that they were broken and one of his legs had a massive chunk missing, where the skin and muscle had been stripped away to the bone. Blood was pouring from his wounds and splashes of blood on the stairs clearly marked his descent down them.

The source of the sobbing was Granger who was on her knees in front of the crowd muttering to herself as she stared at Weasley's mangled body. Longbottom was gently rubbing her back, also staring blankly at Weasley's body, but it was obvious that neither of them noticed the action.

"Out of my way" Madam Pomfrey shouted as she pushed her way to the scene. _I suppose now would be a good time to faint_ Ana thought absently to herself, repressing a smile at how well her plan had worked. Forcing her magic to reduce the blood flow to her brain, she felt herself sway before darkness descended upon her.

* * *

_Dominari - override in latin_

**Short chapter, but a bit of drama ;)**

**I'm looking to post the next chapter (once i've written it) by the end of the week, but i can't guarantee that.**

**Reviews make it easier for me to write!**

**I have some chapters coming up that are inspired by different reviews (i'll post the review that inspired me, so you know which one)**

**Constructive criticism is always welcome**

**Sephoria x**


	13. Chapter 12 - Guilt

******__****Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story. **

_**I know i said i would post last weekend, but life and assignments got in the way. A bonus though, this is the longest chapter i have ever written! Though that is not saying much considering people on fanfiction write much longer chapters than i do...**_

_**I hope you guys review !**_

_Thoughts/Vision_

In German

* * *

**Chapter 12- Guilt**

Ana woke up alone in the hospital wing. The weak light streaming through the windows showed that it was very early in the morning. Stretching contently in bed, she let her magic drift across the room; a habit she had picked up when she was younger. Feeling the unusually weak magical aura of Weasley she slipped out of the hospital bed and moved silently towards his.

Gazing upon him, Ana couldn't help but notice how his freckles stood out even more than usual against his paler skin. His eyes were swollen shut and she could see hints of burn marks around his neck, seeming to travel down to his chest. His nose had also been mutilated, split in half by some dark spell that the spheres had given the twelve and thirteen year old. She knew under his blanket that the bones in his arms were shattered and that half of his leg was close to falling off. She tried to conjure up some morsel guilt, just a small spark as she looked at his disfigured and marred body, but failed. She felt only emptiness and apathy as she looked at what she had done. She felt herself retreat into her mind as she remembered when she stopped caring about what happened to those around her.

* * *

_His screams of terror and pain vibrated through Thalia's skull as she watched her Daddy torture the only man that had ever been truly nice to her. No ulterior motives, just out of pure kindness. __Herr__ Jäger was an elderly man who ran a local shop and would always give her water whenever she stopped during her forced daily runs around town and the countryside. Constantly shadowed by her bodyguards, she didn't get to meet a lot of people and thus __Herr__ Jäger's face was a kind and welcomed one. The young girl stood pressed against the stone torture chamber wall in the basement as she tried not to flinch when his screams reached a higher pitch or when his body contorted into strange shapes that would snap his bones. She knew that if she looked away, it would be her at the other end of Daddy's wand._

_She whimpered quietly as her father finally stopped and casually blew a fair strand of hair out of his face. Turning to face her, she kept her face impassive as he smiled manically at her; his blue eyes alight with madness. A madness that Thalia would not truly see for some time._

"Thalia princess, come here_" Grindelwald beckoned softly. As she came to stand beside him, they both ignored the whimpers and heaving noises coming from the old man in front of them. Running a hand through her long blonde hair, Grindelwald smiled fondly at his only daughter and said, "_You are doing very well in your training, my child. You will make me very proud one day_"_

"Daddy please, Herr Jä-_" Thalia began almost silently; hoping that maybe, against all odds that her Daddy would be nice for once and let the poor man go._

"Do not interrupt me_" the blonde headed man said firmly, tightening his grip on his daughter's hair and consequently sending a shiver down her spine. Bowing her head in submission, she knew that when he began speaking again that she would receive a __**special**__ punishment later. "_You have been practicing your Crucio on animals with Alfar, correct?_"__ he asked. Nodding slightly, she waited for him to continue. "_A terribly boring spell I know, but you are only nine. Alfar believes you are ready to move onto humans and if you master this, we can move onto the exciting stuff. Have fun…_" he finished sinisterly, gesturing towards Jäger as he stepped back._

"B-but Daddy…_"__ Thalia began again, her wand shaking in her hand._

"Thalia… Do not anger me_" he warned darkly, half hidden in the perpetual darkness that existed in the corners of the torture chamber. Seeing what Grindelwald was trying to do, Jäger spoke up._

"N-not t-the girl_" he started, wheezing for breath and spluttering up blood. "_She i-is s-so small. Torture me, not the girl. Have mercy, she is your daughter!_"_

_Silence thickened the tension in the chamber as both men waited for her to make her first move. Lifting her delicate hands, she pointed her wand at Jäger. Ignoring his pained eyes, the tears, blood and vomit running down his face and neck, she whispered unsteadily "C-crucio." The end of her wand glowed deep red for a long second before dying away. A pitiful display considering she was throwing multiple crucios at bunny rabbits with ease a few days ago._

"I can't Daddy. He's my only friend. Please_" she pleaded as she searched for her father in the darkness. Hearing his sigh, she watched as he crossed the room walking towards the door._

"You disappoint me, Thalia. He might be your friend, but I am your Father. You ignore _**my**_ wishes and show him mercy! Once I'm through with you little girl, you will no longer know the meaning of mercy_" _

"D-daddy?_" the panicked young girl called as he walked out. Shaking violently, knowing she had crossed the line, she dropped her wand. The door reopened and two of her bodyguards walked in, moving determinedly towards her._

"Daddy! Daddy, I'm sorry! Please..._" she cried out as she backed away from the men that were meant to be protecting her. She curled herself into a ball in the corner, muttering to herself, as they drew their wands and took their time punishing her. _

* * *

"Distressing, isn't it?" a deep voice said, pulling her from her memories. Spinning round she was surprised to see Dumbledore standing behind her; his usually stifling light magic uncharacteristically somber.

"Yeah" she whispered. She knew she made quite the sight; wild tangled black hair, tears running down her face from relieving her childhood and skin the colour of Hogwarts walls. _Perfect_ she thought darkly, shoving her memories behind her occlumency walls. "I-is he going to be alright, Sir?"

"He should be fine, my dear" Dumbledore answered, his usual twinkle dimmed. "Though there might be some permanent damage to his arms and leg"

"Oh God" she breathed out, turning from the broken boy in her bed. "Do you k-know who did it?"

"We're looking into it. Whoever did this would have to be very dark" he replied frowning to himself.

"I don't understand" she said, crying softly. "I know some people didn't like him, but to do this?"

"I know Ana, I know" Dumbledore said, patting her shoulder softly. Ana bit her lip harshly to stomp down on the urge to burn his hand off and simply moved away instead.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Madam Pomfrey gasped, suddenly appearing from her office.

"I-I just wanted to see if he's ok. I know we had our differences but…" she trailed off shakily as she looked back at him.

"Yes, well Mr. Weasley will be fine" Pomfrey said, steering Ana back to her bed. Ana climbed in and turned her back to the adults. She closed her eyes and pretended to try to get to sleep, still desperately trying to summon the guilt that any normal person would feel.

* * *

A hush fell over the student body as everyone watched Dumbledore rise from his seat. A grim expression on his face; reflecting the solemn atmosphere that had settled over the school since Weasley was discovered at the bottom of the staircase. Lunch had finished, but everyone remained seated, eager to hear what Dumbledore had to say.

"Ladies and Gentleman, as I'm sure you all know by now, a student was attacked yesterday morning" Dumbledore said; his voice grave. "I am pleased to say that Mr. Weasley will recover from this assault, but I have to stress the possibility of a violent dark wizard or witch amongst us."

Dumbledore paused, watching as the student's muttered and frowned among themselves. He easily spotted Ana sitting alone at the Slytherin table as normal. _She has motive _he mused lightly as he looked at the pretty witch, _but her face…when she saw Mr. Weasley in the hospital wing. So much pain… No! She is definitely far too naïve to commit such a crime. _

"This discovery has concerned us greatly and as such we ask you to stay calm. Rest assured we will catch them" he finished, dismissing them to their classes.

"Are you sure it was wise to tell them?" McGonagall asked as they watched the students run off, "Surely it would just create panic, saying a dark wizard is running among them"

"Many eyes are better than one" he replied before sweeping out of the hall.

"Does he know something we don't?" Flitwick asked McGonagall as they watched him leave.

"Doesn't he always?"

* * *

_This is becoming a recurring theme_ Ana thought as she stared at the hideous gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office. The note she had received at dinner had told her to come, but in typical Dumbledore fashion, not what for.

"Toffee apples" she announced to the statue, walking calmly up the stone steps to his office. Knocking lightly she waited to be called in.

"Come in" a voice said, floating through the door to her. Walking in she made sure to show her surprise at finding the room full of red headed people; obviously Weasley's large family. Slytherin, McGonagall and Slughorn were also in the room; standing off to the corners as if trying not to be seen.

"Professor?" she said to Dumbledore uncertainly, glancing at the gloomy faces in the room.

"I'm glad you're here, my dear" he replied happily. Keeping her mask of confusion, she repressed the need to sneer.

"That's her isn't it!" the older red headed women abruptly said.

"Now Molly, w-"

"No! That's the demon who attack my baby boy" she exploded, angry tears in her eyes. Every eye in the room seemed to burn into Ana, as they waited for some kind of sign that she was guilty.

"W-what?" she stuttered, green eyes big and wet. "I w-would never…I couldn't…"

"Liar! You liar" the women almost screamed at her, standing up and getting in Ana's face; much like her son did the day before.

"Molly, you're setting a bad example" an older red headed man scolded; presumably her husband. "Just calm down, dear"

"Calm down, you expect me to calm down" Molly shouted, whirling around to focus her wrath on her husband. Much like her son, Molly's face flushed bright red in anger.

"Mum please" the red headed twins that Ana knew were quite famous in the school said. Sitting down, the elder women huffed and scowled at her family.

"No, please. I swear I didn't do it" Ana pleaded to the room as a whole, heaving a little bit for effect. "I can't deal with blood and… Not after my parents… and the war…"

Molly growled in response, causing Ana to flinch violently.

"Enough! You're distressing her" Slytherin suddenly hissed loudly from his dark corner. The astonished silence in the room was enough to make the navy eyed man squirm a bit. _What the fuck?_ Ana thought, as she shook off the shiver that went down her back at the thought of Slytherin being even somewhat protective.

"We can't trust her Mum, she's a drug addict!" the youngest Weasley unexpectedly said; effectively snapping everyone out of their daze.

"No I'm not!" Ana hissed, eyes flashing. "Here, I have my healer's note prescribing it to me." The black haired girl hurriedly searched around in her bag for the elusive note as everyone looked on. 'There, see" she said handing it to Dumbledore, who took a quick look.

"I guess that's my cue" Slughorn suddenly boomed from across the room, startling more than one person. "I have the results from the headache potion"

"Well!" Slytherin snapped, ignoring the way everyone's head whipped to face him again.

"Yes well" Slughorn coughed, gearing up to his announcement. "The potion is clear. Just a normal long term headache potion."

"But didn't you detect something different in it, when she gave it to you yesterday?" McGonagall questioned further.

"Elderflower; used to make it taste better. I'm sure that Miss Harrow wouldn't use drugs. She's much too smart for that" the pot bellied man said winking at Ana and rocking back onto his heals happily.

"See! I told you I wasn't a drug addict" Ana cried out, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes. "And I'm telling you now that I didn't hurt Weasley. Why won't anyone ever believe me?"

"I believe you, dear" Dumbledore suddenly said from behind his desk. He looked the pinnacle of goodness; hands joined lightly in front of him and that damn twinkle back in full force. The hot hatred she had for the old man flared up behind her occlumency shields, making her eye twitch erratically for a second.

"Albus?" Molly said in a hushed tone; hurt glistening in her eyes.

"No, Molly. She was in the Great Hall well before the attack took place. Miss Granger said she saw Ronald falling down the stairs, not who pushed or attacked him"

"Yes but sh-" Molly started to insist, looking for support amongst her family.

"She was in the hall, woman!" Slytherin sneered cutting her off, his upper lip curling. "She couldn't have pushed the retched boy down the stairs and she certainly couldn't have attacked him." And on that note, Slytherin grabbed Ana's arm and dragged her from the office. The moment he touched her Ana felt a migraine exploded at the back of her head and spread rapidly to her eyes.

* * *

_She was in a blindingly bright room, sitting on something and hunching over a cold table. She tried to lift her head to see better but something was weighing it down. In fact her whole body was being weighed down, pressed in on all sides by some invisible force. So much so that she struggled to breathe, to lift her rib cage and fill her lungs with air. Ana moaned pitifully in despair, panic rising up within her small body. _

"_Ana? Ana can you hear me?" a ghostly voice said to her. Opening her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them, she could barely make out a man with dark hair. Blinking she tried again but could only see in blurs and dull colours. Moaning again, she felt tears leak out of her eyes._

_There was a commotion but she could scarcely make out the sounds; her mind becoming foggier and slower._

"_I promise Ana, I'll get you out. Or should I say T-"_

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you?" a sinister voice unexpectedly said close to her ear, pulling her out of the first vision she had had in weeks. Glancing up she saw Slytherin looking intently at her face. Flinching back, she quickly moved away from the suddenly too close for comfort Professor. Sighing internally, she once again tightened her control on her aura when she felt his magic slip into old habits.

"What's wrong with me? What was up with you in there?" Ana exploded, trying to steer the conversation into less dangerous waters.

"If you speak to me like that ever again, you and me are going to have problems" Slytherin said darkly, pressing Ana up against the cold stone in the corridor. The taste of his magic quickly turned from curious and hesitant to oppressive and angry, making Ana's knees wobble a bit.

"I thought you and me already had problems" she whispered seductively to him, making sure to breathe softly over his lips. Slytherin quickly turned from her, missing the look of chagrin that crossed Ana's face as she realized she had broken character again.

"Are we going to talk about it at all?" she said sadly to his back, hoping he would dismiss her slip. "You haven't said two words to me since it happen"

"That's not true" he replied quickly, back still turned to her.

"Whatever!" she said snapped impatiently, "People are asking questions and I don't… I don't know what to say." At that Slytherin finally faced her again. She looked into his navy eyes and watched as something passed through them.

"My office, 8pm tomorrow night."

* * *

_**Herr - Mr. (That's what google translate says)**_

_**Reviews?**_

_**Anyway i said i would begin to post some reviews that have inspired me so here is the first one...**_

_**"I know she has to keep pretending and all but could do something where everyone knows there is a powerful Dark witch in Hogwarts but not who? It would be oh so funny and she can get revenge on people but hey your fic you do as you think best"**_

_**(Ebru Raveniz Gunduz Lestrange)**_

_**I've put the name of the reviewer because everyone can see it one the reviews page anyway. Leave reviews with suggestions, constructive criticism and just good old plain love for the fic ;) and it could be you up here next time. Anyone who doesn't want their name shown can say in the review, pm me or leave an anonymous review.**_

_**Sephoria x**_


	14. Chapter 13 - Smiles

_**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**I hope you like it and review! Please forgive any mistakes as i have no beta. **__**Read and review guys!**_

_Thoughts/Articles_ – thoughts in the mind

_**Emphasis**_ – to emphasize some words

* * *

**Chapter 13 – Smiles**

The sound of hushed breathing floated towards Ana from an alcove she just passed. After the incident with Slytherin, she wasn't in the mood to deal with idiotic children deciding to have some fun with the mudblood. Feeling the presence begin to follow her, she decided to take a much more deserted route to the common room, where she will be unlikely to be interrupted if she felt the need to take out her frustrations on the moron.

For a while, all that was heard was her light breathing and the steps from the person following her; no doubt believing they were silent. A silencing charm is easily negated by those who know how. Deciding she had had enough waiting for them to make their move, she sharply turned into an empty corridor and waited for them to appear.

"Why are you following me?" she demanded plainly at the figure dressed in black robes; too tired and shaken to act meek and submissive. She was itching to spend some time in her chamber, throwing dark spell after dark spell, but knew that Slytherin would notice her continued absence from the common room.

"Just walking" the figure said back haughtily, "I didn't know that was a crime, Harrow?"

"It's not" she said, leaning causally against the wall, "but when you wait for someone in a random alcove, then that might make them a tad bit suspicious"

"What makes you think I was in an alcove?" the male said, sneering lightly "Is there something you're not telling us?"

"What makes you say that?" Ana replied, shifting into a more defensive position subtly.

"I have to confess; when that red headed twit accused you of being an addict I was intrigued. There's really no reason for you to have not reported the potion to Pomfrey. Especially since you're best buddies with Dumbledore now" the figure said lowly, moving to mirror Ana's pose on the opposite wall. The two were now staring directing at each other, in the dark and damp corridor. Ana knew there was no one near them due to her magical sensing and grinned internally. "I might have broken into Slughorn's office, just to grab a sample of course…"

Ana just smiled teasingly at the black robed male; silently challenging him to take her on. She wasn't concerned.

"Imagine my surprise when I discovered the potion could only be used by the most powerful Seers" he said smoothly. Ana didn't need to look down to know that he had his wand gripped behind his back. She could easily read body language and would know the precise moment he decided to do something _**silly**_. Letting him carry on with his monologue, she internally rolled her eyes at his stupidity. _I really thought he was smarter than this _she thought tiredly.

"It's quite the gift; being a Seer. Not one that is usually observed in those born from muggle parents, hmm…"

"What do you want me to say?" she mocked, "You found out my big bad secret. Do you want a gold star? A pat on the back and a well done, perhaps?"

"Don't mock me bitch" he hissed angrily; no doubt gripping his wand tighter. "I know your secret now, and I'm gonna put you to work." Before he could even pull his wand from behind his back, Ana had whipped hers out and sent an Obliviate straight towards him. The figure had no time to dodge and went down like a sack of potatoes.

Crouching down next to the unconscious body, Ana whispered in his ear "You will forget that Anastasia Harrow is a Seer. You will destroy and forget all things relating to Anastasia Harrow being a Seer. You will not link any foul play or suspicious behavior to Anastasia Harrow. You will forget this conversation and the actions leading up to it."

Standing up, she quickly left the unconscious body there; eager to get into bed and forget about the stressful events of the day.

* * *

The general chatter of the Great Hall always dulled to a buzz whenever Ana was forced to spend any amount of time in it; the conversations of the student body meaningless and typical of the under-educated Certain words would jump out from the overall drone; trigger words Ana called them. Words that she would unconsciously listen for; a consequence of living with a maniac that would at a moment's notice set her guards on her. She knew it was irrational to fear receiving a punishment, especially since she could kill anyone who decided to try and hurt her; but ingrained survival instincts made sure she was always on edge. Conscious of every movement that people in her vicinity made; she barely managed to get to sleep most nights.

Most of the time she refused to admit that living with Grindelwald had seriously fucked with her head. She ignored the fact that when she finally became powerful enough to escape; she was a nervous wreck for months. Constantly jumping and cursing things on sight; she even went as far as to hurt herself when the pressure became too much. She knew that without her gang's help that she would have fallen so deep into Grindelwald's world that she would have no longer been herself. Parts of her died in those years that she lived with him, so early on that she couldn't even remember what they were. She just knew that she wasn't meant to be like this. She was meant to be one of those idiotic moronic students who barely knew how to string a sentence together. Who were so ignorant that they could sleep peacefully at night and breathe easily when someone passed them in the street. She often wondered what she would be like if her parents had survived. Would she be happy? Sad? Powerful? Still an emotionless weapon trained to kill?

_I suppose I asked for it _she thought glumly, _He gave me what I wanted. _Just then the words "Cade" and "Prophet" rose above the murmurs and danced their way to her, catching her attention immediately. Halting her pity party fast, she quickly scanned the daily prophet that she had tossed carelessly to the side in favour of her porridge. Noted in a little side column near the back, she spotted something that left a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_Today it is with deepest regret that I have to announce that Mr. Henry Cade has passed._

_An esteemed wand lore expert and a close friend to many; Mr. Cade will be sincerely missed._

_The only condolence we can give is the fact that Mr. Cade died peacefully in his sleep from natural causes almost a week ago._

_Sparing no expense, Mr. Cade's funeral will be held on 20__th__ November for close family and friends. His absence, especially on that day, will be profoundly felt._

_Written by Gary Turnhop_

_Ministry idiots will believe anything _Ana thought cruelly to herself, smirking into her porridge. There was a sudden and very subtle change in the din around her, causing Ana to look up startled. Glancing around, she unexpectedly caught Narcissa's icy blue eyes looking at her. Knowing that her own pale green ones were the size of orbs; she stared. _Why in the world is Queen Ice Bitch looking at me _Ana thought suspiciously, _and more importantly, why is she smiling at me?_ Choosing to ignore the 7th year, she got up and left; trying to shake off the feeling that Narcissa would somehow be smiling at her a lot more.

* * *

Staring at that damned grey snake again, Ana contemplated the notion of blasting it out of the portrait. Hissing and spitting at her, it was obvious that the thing remembered her from her previous visit to Slytherin's office. Knocking with more force than warranted, she watched as the door swung inwards; a silent greeting. Before stepping into the office, she took a liberal swig of her potion flask. She was immensely glad she had gotten it back, the flask in particular. Stepping in she instantly felt Slytherin's magic latch onto her skin, almost as if it had _**missed **_her. Suppressing a shiver, she quickly walked over to his desk and plonked herself ungracefully in the chair. The only indication he gave of her arrival was the upturn of his mouth to form a sneer. Continuing to write whatever he was writing, he ignored her presence.

Sighing loudly in irritation, after all he was the one to invite her here; she leaned forward and discreetly ran her thumb over one of the carvings of snakes on his desk. With that quick swipe she was able to identify three spells that had been cast on the engraving; one to alert the castor of any ill intent from the guest, another to just record all conversations and the third to monitor magical cores spikes that were linked to spell casting. Chuckling in her head, she supposed the spells weren't all that surprising considering his youthful desire to become a Dark Lord. _I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have what it takes_ she said in her mind grimly.

"Are you just going to ignore me all night?" Ana finally said, after sitting in silence and watching him write for ten minutes. It was all she could do not to rub her temples to relieve the pressure building up in her head. _Urgh…I wish he would hurry up_ she thought.

"Watch your tongue, girl" Slytherin hissed in her direction. "Don't get brave"

Acting thoroughly cowed by his tone, though itching to blast him into the wall behind him, Ana dipped her head submissively.

"It's just that I have to finish my essay fo-"

"You're struggling with your assignments?" he asked harshly, demanding an answer.

"W-well no" she replied, caught off guard by the slightly angry and very weird look on his face. "I just need to finish some research." The two lapsed into an awkward silence once more, whilst Slytherin continued to stare at Ana's face with the most peculiar expression.

"I-I thought we were going to talk about the soul mate thing?" Ana prompted uneasily.

"Yes we are" he replied, uncharacteristically quiet. "Since I cannot remove myself from this situation, as the expected next Lady Slytherin, there will be certain rules that you will follow."

"Wait, r-rules?" she stuttered in confusion.

"No bad language or disgraceful behavior; you are to act like a lady at all times. I won't accept poor grades either. All outings must be pre-approved by me and that goes for any friends as well. I expect you to also attend lessons in etiquette; Merlin knows you need it."

"You can'-" Ana started, eyes flashing and narrowing in anger.

"Your scruffy appearance will have to go as well; I won't have people talking behind my back about your failings. Your new wardrobe will also have to be approved by me. Your standards aren't good enough" he continued with a sneer as he looked her up and down.

"You b-"

"Of course there's not much I can do about your dirty blood" he mused, almost to himself. "But I guess I'm pure enough for the both of us. This situation wouldn't be half as bad if you were at least a halfblood." The idiot continued to talk to himself, having half turned away from her as if he was too disgusted by her current state of dress. "Naturally, these rules will also still apply after the marriage."

"Marriage!" she shrieked.

"Failure to comply with the rules will result in punishment."

Ana felt her face drain as she surpassed anger and went to a new _**level**_. She could literally feel herself start to vibrate as her magic lashed against her skin; aching to get out and slam into the arrogant twit that sat in front of her. She felt her eyes take on a golden hue as her magic traveled up to her eyes, looking for an escape. This had the added effect of partially triggering her Seer's eye. She started to see the future, past and present all layered on top of each other, making her head pulse and swim. Leaning back on the chair she squeezed her eyes shut and pushed her magic from her head down to her feet where it would harmlessly dissipate in the floor.

"Are you sleeping?!" an incredulous voice said; Slytherin obvious annoyed that no one was listening to his monologue. Opening her eyes released the few tears that had been trapped behind her eyelids. Seeing Slytherin look at her with something as akin to shock, she simply got up and left.

Staggering her way to her secret chamber, she managed to roughly close the metal door behind her. Her vision going blurry, she slumped to the floor and passed out.

* * *

Waking up sharply to the feeling of something hot vibrating against her chest, she flipped onto her back, wiped the drool from her face and answered the call.

"What" she croaked.

"Ana! Ana are you alright?" Leo's panicked voice filled her head. "I've been ringing you for the past twenty minutes."

"Yesss" she hissed softly, rubbing her temples. "I accidently triggered my Seer's eye to force itself open. You know how that messes me up"

"Oh Merlin" Leo breathed, "You want me to send you some stuff?"

"Please" she replied, eyes closed. Although she heard the box ping, she couldn't be bothered to go and get it. "Why did you call?"

"Oh yes" he said excitedly, "Mai and I definitely discovered something. It seems our esteemed Headmaster isn't as Light as we thought"

"Spit it out!" she snapped; her head throbbing too much to put up with his preppiness.

"Dumbledore was deeply involved with Grindelwald when he was younger" Leo began.

"I already know that! Please tell me you have something different"

"Of course I do" he replied patiently, "It turns out that he, Grindelwald and Dumbledore's sister was involved in an incident some years ago"

"Details" she demanded sharply.

"They're fuzzy, but we can confirm that the sister died as a result"

"Damn" Ana breathed, "She died?"

"Yeah" Leo answered, "Mai and I are trying to work out the details"

"Good, keep me posted" she said before hanging up in her usual fashion.

* * *

Having taken the potion Leo sent her, Ana was well on her way to feeling a hundred percent when she walked into the Slytherin common room. It wasn't her barely there headache that sent her mood plummeting, it was the smile on Narcissa's face when she saw her enter the room.

"Anastasia!" the stunning blonde called lightly, her voice carrying across the common room. Thankfully not that many people were still up, it being past eleven o'clock at night. Narcissa was surrounded by her usual cohorts; Rosier and Zabini. It seemed that those three were inseparable. Knowing better than to reject an invitation from the Queen B of Slytherin; Ana cautiously made her way over to the group. The closer she got the more she felt out of place; their silky robes and expensive jewelry seemed to glow brightly in the dull light thrown off by the fireplace. Trying not to trip over the loose soles of her trainers as she walked, she finally stopped in front of them.

"Sit down, sit down" Narcissa encouraged, patting the conveniently empty seat next to her. Perching precariously on the edge, she stared wide eyed at the group.

"What's this about?" she said with a wary frown.

"Don't look so worried" Narcissa said laughing airily, "We just thought it was about time we get to know our new Slytherin"

"Oh ok" Ana replied, slight confusion on her face. _What the hell is going on here?_ she thought in her mind. "W-what do you want to know?"

"Just tell us something about yourself?" the blonde encouraged.

Looking round, she was met by the mildly interested faces of Narcissa's friends. Gulping for effect she stuttered "Well I-I was born in Belgium, but lived in England until I was about nine. My parents and I then moved back to Belgium, where I was until the…um…war"

"Oh I didn't know you had lived in England prior to coming here" Eleanor Rosier suddenly said, twirling her light blonde hair between her fingers.

"Not many people do" she murmured in reply, eyes cast down.

"Why's that?" Juliette Zabini asked, sounding generally interested.

"No one bothered to ask" she stated, cutting the conversation and leaving an awkward silence in her wake. Trying not to giggle when they all shifted slightly in their seats; she suppressed her smile.

"I've always liked your hair" Narcissa suddenly complimented, seeming to gaze at it in longing.

"Really?" Ana said in disbelief; subconsciously tugging hard on it.

"Yes" the blonde smiled back, "with the right products it would be stunning. Don't you agree Juli?"

"Sure" Zabini agreed, "The thickness and length is lovely"

"Yep, I can definitely see it now" Rosier chipped in too. With them all staring at her, Ana began to reach new levels of unnerved.

"I'm gonna go to bed now, I'm kinda beat" she said, taking note of the subtle cringes they made when she spoke.

"Ok" Narcissa said a little too brightly, "Eat breakfast with us ok?" Though phrased like a question, they all knew it was delicately disguised order. Nodding she escaped upstairs to the sanctuary that was her bed. _That was beyond weird_ she thought as slipped into her bed.

* * *

_**I'm starting to run out of pre-planned chapters, so inspiration is definitely needed!**_

_**Review guys please**_

_**Sephoria x**_


	15. Chapter 14 - Friends?

_**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**I hope you like it and review! Please forgive any mistakes as i have no beta. **__**Read and review guys!**_

* * *

**Chapter 14 – Friends?**

Ana woke up the next morning with lead in her stomach and a sour taste in her mouth**. **The vision of her younger self trapped in her eternally dark _**punishment room**_ and her screams for _**Daddy**_ had plagued her dreams all night. Constantly waking up in a cold sweat, grabbing for her wand, had left Ana feeling very twitchy. The violence bred into her ached to be released; she often felt better after destroying something or someone. "The need to regain control" Leo had called it. She didn't care for his description of her _**twitchiness**_, but let it go. He was her right hand man after all; he had to have some liberties.

Slipping out of bed, she saw that the sun still hadn't risen above the mountains surrounding Hogwarts, leaving the room bathed in weak moonlight. Moving silently, she grabbed her mirror and brush and moved back to her bed. Re-closing her curtains, she waved her hand absentmindedly creating small balls of white light that hovered in a crude circle around her. Looking into the mirror she stared at her reflection. Her pale skin, so shockingly different from her naturally tan skin tone was often the most shocking change she had to get used to since she had become _Ana_. Her lips stood out sharply against her now paler skin, full of blood and plump. She had to admit that she preferred her lips when she was _Ana _rather than _Thalia_. There was a certain sex appeal that dripped from them when she was the dark haired beauty rather than the blonde bombshell. Catching the light that reflected off of her black hair, Ana gazed at the tangled mess that was on her head. Unused to the heavier and thicker hair, she normally left it snarled and messy. It didn't bother her too much; it certainly helped with her facade of meek and submissive. Now looking at though, she couldn't help but wish she could turn it back to the sleek light blonde locks she was used to. However by far, her most striking feature had to be her eyes. They seemed to glow like luminous gems whenever in low light. Her pale green eyes were distinctive and carried with them her entire heritage. Sighing deeply, she threw it up in a ponytail, got dressed and left the Slytherin Dungeons.

Jogging quickly through the early morning dungeons, Ana shivered as a frosty breeze danced over her exposed skin. She reached her chamber easily; even the portraits were still asleep this early in the morning. Ready to shake off her nightmare, she swiftly set up her moving targets and let loose all her frustrations and fears onto them. The targets were all systematically destroyed; some blown to pieces, others burst into flames or suddenly collapsing inwards onto themselves. Ana stood surrounded by the debris of twenty or so manikins; gazing upon what was left of the magic resistant targets that she had devastated in less than three minutes. Waving her wand over the mess, she watched as they flew back together, mending the wounds she had inflicted until they were as good as new. Making them faster, stronger and more agile, she once again set about destroying them; toiling the early morning hours away.

* * *

Entering the Slytherin common room at seven, she felt lighter and more settled. The common room was still empty which Ana was deeply grateful for. She was a mess from her work out and all she craved right now was a scalding hot shower. Darting to her room, she walked in only to find all of her roommates awake, which in itself was a rarity, as well as Narcissa and her friends. They all turned to look at her as she stood shock still in the doorway; varying looks of disgust displayed on their faces. Wide eyed, Ana was very aware of the fact that she was wearing tattered joggers and a hole infested too large t-shirt; all of which was drenched in sweat and dust.

"Ana" Narcissa said slowly, quickly controlling her facial expressions so that she flashed the brunette a wide smile. "What have you been doing?"

"Erm…" Ana started; hand gripping tightly onto the door frame. "Running. I-I went for a run." The group lapsed into silence again; a time which Ana used to discreetly deactivate her wards around her bed. The slight widening of Juliette's eyes showed that she was the only one who noticed the fact that they couldn't focus on her bed before she disabled the wards.

"Why are you here?" Ana asked cautiously when the silence stretched on.

"You promised to have breakfast with us, remember" Narcissa explained; a smile on her face, but her eyes flat.

"Breakfast doesn't start for another hour" Ana said slowly in response; eyes darting from face to face.

"We know" Eleanor piped up, "We just wanted to help you get ready, like friends do." Ignoring the impulse to point out that they weren't friends, Ana finally moved into the room.

"Well, I'm going to have a shower" Ana said, moving over to her wardrobe. Subtly running her hands over it, before grabbing her towel, she secured any of the secret draws she had hidden some of her things in.

"Ok" Narcissa said simply. They all stood still as theirs eyes followed her across to the bathroom. _I bet this is Slytherin's doing_ Ana huffed internally. Taking an extra long shower, she re-entered the room in just her towel. Just as she had thought, Narcissa and her friends had been through her stuff, laying out heaps of clothing on her bed.

"Don't you have anything that doesn't have holes in it?" Eleanor asked, her words tinged with revolution , holding up what Ana considered to be her best robes by her fingertips.

"Can you just leave my stuff alone?" Ana snapped, snatching the robes out of her hand roughly.

"Sorry" the blonde mumbled in response, stepping back.

"Could you guys just give me a bit of space?" Ana said, gripping her towel tightly around her.

"Sure" Narcissa piped up a bit too cheerfully. "We'll be downstairs" With that she left; her friends leaving quickly behind her.

"Why the hell is Narcissa talking to _you_?" Daphne screeched when she was sure they were out of hearing distance.

"I don't know" she snarled back, quickly putting on her clothes "Why don't you go ask her?"

"Who do you think you are?" Pansy suddenly joined, her voice reaching new levels of annoying. Ana's eye twitched erratically as she suppressed the need to blow her roommates' face off. _I really need to get myself under control_ Ana scolded _I'm snapping far too much. _

"Look I don't know ok" Ana mumbled, running her hands through her hair to get rid of the worst knots. "Sorry, it's freaking me out a bit"

This seemed to mollify the two airhead Slytherins, as they turned back to brushing their hair and putting on copious amounts of makeup.

"I'm sure it's a mistake" Daphne mused; pouting her lips in the mirror "Once she sees how much of an idiot you are, she'll come crawling to me. Then Lucius will be mine!" Ana left them to their idiotic plotting and walked into the common room. Deflating at seeing Narcissa and her gang still waiting she walked over to them.

* * *

"I was thinking we could give each other a make-over tonight. We haven't done that in a while" Narcissa suggested when they began walking. Rolling her eyes inside her mind, _definitely Slytherin's doing_ she thought; barely registering the other girls' noises of approval.

"What do you think Ana?" Juliette asked; eyes surprisingly curious.

"I don't really mind" she answered back, mumbling into her hair. Not missing the frown on Narcissa's face, she grinned internally.

"That's settled then" Narcissa announced happily as they entered the Great Hall.

Sitting down, Ana shifted nervously; not used to being in the centre of the table. Grabbing her usual bowl of porridge, she shielded herself from the glares and questioning looks she was getting from others in the hall.

"You shouldn't hunch your back. It will round your shoulders" Narcissa suddenly said smiling lightly. Straightening her back quickly, she resisted the natural urge to slip into the pureblood mannerisms she grew up learning and practicing. It took more effort for her to consciously break them, than it did for her to stick to tradition. Growing up as the princess of Grindelwald's army, she was expected to live and breathe pureblood tradition and it was something that was drilled into her everyday day of every week of every year.

Smiling weakly at the blonde; Ana merely stared into her porridge rather than hunching around it like she was used to doing. And thus began a long day in which Ana was told how to sit, eat, behave and walk; all done with light smiles and shinning eyes. When Narcissa and her cohorts couldn't be in class with her, she was closely shadowed by Eleanor's brother Evan. His beady eyes often swept across the back of her neck, sending a shiver of disgust down her spine. The frustrating thing was that she knew her pureblood traditions and mannerisms better than all of them put together. They even had the gall to teach her the mannerisms that befitted a person of small stature; seemingly ignoring the fact that she was expected to become Lady Slytherin sometime in the future. She often found herself clenching her fists under the table in order to control her magic; anger licking at every nerve ending in her body.

When it came to make over time, Ana's temper was already stretched thin. Not used to having to keep her anger in check; after all when she became old enough, her body guards learned to fear her and not the other way round; Ana found it hard to control and rein it in.

"I think we'll work on the hair first" Eleanor announced happily, grabbing a multitude of brushing and hair products from her fancy dresser in the corner. The three of them only shared the room, so they had filled the extra space with dressers, wardrobes and stylish chairs and sofas. The room was decorated in cream, light green and gold, giving an overall pleasant effect. Ana scowled at her surroundings.

Moving to sit on the seat Eleanor had given her, she endured having her hair yanked from her head and numerous amounts of creams and potions slathered into it. Ignoring the chatter around her as her head was once again wrenched back, she wondered if this was what it felt like to have friends. Real friends, who were normal. Who didn't know what killing felt like or who didn't know what it felt like to endure pain so intense you black out. She often stared at the students around her and wondered what they talked about if death and war weren't on their minds. She wondered what they did in their spare time if they weren't training to kill. She wondered why she was chosen by the fates to be different. She wondered if she really was different or if they would all be like her if they had lived her life?

* * *

_**Another chapter finished. Sorry for the delay, life got in the way.**_

_**All reviews are welcome**_

_**Sephoria x**_


	16. Chapter 15 - The Cloak

___**Disclaimer - I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters or settings. All credit goes to J.K and Warner Brothers. I only take credit for the plot and any OC's present in this story.**_

_**R&R**_

_Thoughts/Letters/Newspapers_

_**Emphasis/**_**_Spells_**

**_Hi guys, sorry about the delay in updates. i decided to have a little break from writing but then some reviews got me inspired again. i've been writing this chapter slowly over the past week since i have loads of exams and not much time to study for them. A few changes that i've made; i changed the Chimaera etching on her silver flask to a Sphinx and changed Chimaera scales in her wand to the heartstrings of a Sphinx. There's no need to go back and re-read over those chapters, unless you want to. Soon i'll be free for summer so hopefully i'll be able to get more chapters out._**

**_Enjoy and please review :)_**

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**Chapter 15 – The Cloak**

Ana walked self-consciously through the busy hallways of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Softly patting down her now sleek and smooth hair; she purposely chewed off the lip-gloss that Narcissa and her friends had forced her to wear. The new robes she wore clinched in at the waist almost like a corset; restricting her movements and forcing her to sit upright at all times. She remembered wearing one of these robes when she was five and deep into her pureblood training. It irked her that she was being forced into one now. She wanted to scream from the rooftops that it was all an act and that she knew and had practiced more pureblood traditions then any of them could ever imagine, but instead she bit her tongue and smiled sweetly at Narcissa when she presented her with her new** _wardrobe_**.

Flanked on both sides by Juliette and Eleanor with Narcissa leading the pack, Ana felt like she was being frog marched to her death or something ridiculous like that. Fluffing up her hair in irritation, she stared blankly at the people who were looking at her; forcing them to look away in embarrassment.

"Stop touching your hair. You're going to mess it up" Eleanor snapped from beside her. "It took me hours to get out all those knots."

"It's my hair, I can do what I want" Ana mumbled into her chest angrily, a scowl painted on her face.

"Back straight and speak louder" Eleanor snapped again, obviously in a bad mood. "Merlin, don't you listen to anything we say?"

"Here we are" Narcissa said, spinning on her heels and smiling widely at Ana. "We'll be here to walk you to your next class as well, so don't run off without us."

"You guys really don't have to walk me to every class" Ana said, shuffling awkwardly from side to side under the force of the blonde's wide smile. "I mean you really don't."

"Nonsense" Narcissa said lightly, "That's what friends are for"

Nodding reluctantly, she stepped passed them and entered the classroom; feeling their stares boring in to the back of her neck as she went. Skulking to the back of the classroom, she quickly took her seat before the lecture began.

"Today, we will be practicing the Patronus Charm we have been reviewing over the pass few lessons. I expect all of you to be able to produce one by the end of the class since we are just reviewing the material" Professor Slytherin announced from the front of the classroom, flicking his wand absentmindedly to move the tables and chairs to the side. The first half of the lesson was spent practicing the charm individually. Ana idly hung around the back of the room; purposely producing just a small wisp of white mist as she observed everyone else. It was a common misconception that it was impossible for Dark wizards or witches to perform the Patronus charm. She thought it quite ridiculous that that rumor had spread so far and wide, considering all you need is a happy memory and everyone had a happy memory regardless of whether they were Dark or not.

Feeling her crystal necklace heat up against her chest, she turned her body so her back was facing the room and answered the call discreetly.

"What?" she hissed quietly; performing the spell again for pretense purposes.

"I have an update on the Prophet situation" the sultry voice of Eva said in her head.

"And?" Ana replied back impatiently, swishing her wand through the air.

"The writers are proving harder to convert than originally thought. Most are just concerned with what stories sell and don't seem to have any kind of political agenda" Eva replied, her voice tense.

"Eva…" Ana said in a warning tone.

"I know" she sighed back. "I'm working on it. On the plus side, we have converted a number of photographers, so you can worry less about your photo being taken. If a photo has to be shown, rest assured that you will stay unidentifiable."

"When I said you needed to step up, I meant it" Ana said in a hushed but angry tone. "I want the Prophet under my control and soon, dammit." Hanging up abruptly, Ana continued to make sure her Patronus failed to form properly.

"Do you plan on doing some actual work today or are you just going to continue showing off your far less than stellar magical skills?" Slytherin suddenly hissed in her ear. Biting harshly on her lip, she felt his magic surround her in a choke-like grip.

"I am doing the work" she said shakily, looking the other way as he towered over her. She flinched when she felt his hand twirl a strand of her hair around his finger.

"Better" he muttered to himself. Making sure a few tears had leaked from her eyes; she wrenched herself from his grip.

"I don't need your bloody approval" she panted angrily, swiping at the tears that were running down her cheeks.

"And yet here you stand, exactly to my liking" he smirked back before turning his attention back to the class. "Everyone get in a line now!"

Pushing back the fierce rage that boiled in the pit of her stomach, she entered the queue that was forming.

"I want all of you to perform the charm and show me a fully corporeal Patronus. This is worth ten percent of your final grade so I suggest you don't mess up."

A girl of the name Mandy Shacklebolt was first in the line and therefore was the first to be assessed. Her wand shaking in her hand she successfully produced a Patronus in the form of a small rabbit, though it was a bit too pale. Greengrass managed a hummingbird Patronus, Parkinson a parrot and Bulstrode a hawk. Noting down all the performances, Slytherin called for the next person. This continued until it was Granger's turn to cast the charm.

"_**Expecto Patronum**!"_ she said confidently. Bursting from her wand came forth the corporal almost solid looking Patronus of an otter. _She might be annoying but she knows her magic _Ana thought grudgingly in her mind, moving further up in the line. It was then Weasley's turn. Stepping forward, he shouted the spell and only a large wisp of white mist expelled itself from his wand. Mouth hanging open, he stared down at his wand.

"Next!" Slytherin called.

"Wait!" Weasley protested, "I haven't done it yet"

"Precisely" Slytherin hissed, before once again calling for the next person.

"But Professor, he was really close. I'm sur-" Granger began, but was cut off by Slytherin.

"I said Next." Shuffling to the back; Weasley scowled at Ana as he passed, somehow in his mind pinning the blame of his failed spell on her. Longbottom was up next, who also failed to produce a fully corporal Patronus. As he passed her, she saw fear bleed into his eyes as he glanced in her direction. Nervously looking away, she watched him race back to his friends. _Why is he so scared?_ She questioned in her head, frowning internally.

"I don't have all day, Harrow" Slytherin sneered at her. With a jolt she realized she was at the front of the queue.

"_**Expecto Patronum**"_ she said quietly. A long sliver of dark silvery mist snaked its way from the end of her wand, where it swirled on the floor to form the corporal image of a larger than normal Iberian Lynx. She saw Slytherin lean forward in his chair as the lynx began to snake its way around her legs; brushing her robes as it went. Flicking her wand, she end the charm and moved to the back of the class; unable to suppress the urge to smirk at Slytherin. His navy blue eyes burned into her pale ones for a long second before flickering away.

Racing out of the classroom as soon as she could, she was severely disappointed to see Narcissa and her friends waiting for her. _They must have permission to leave early _she thought, _there's no way they could get here this fast if not. _

"Hi" she greeted them in a subdued tone, successfully keeping her annoyance from seeping into her voice. The trio followed her around for the rest of the day, much like they had been following her around for the entire week. Every movement she made was questioned and she was never left alone for longer than five minutes. They even accompanied her to the toilets; stating that they had to top up their make up or something inane like that.

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Deciding she couldn't take much more before things turned south, she decided to give them the slip.

"Where are you going?" Narcissa questioned as Ana stood from up the leather sofas they were sitting on. The trio had decided it would be much better for Ana to do her homework in the Slytherin Common Room rather than in the library.

"I'm finished and I'm quite tired, so I was going to go to bed" Ana said; gritting her teeth at having to explain herself **_again_**.

"But it's still early" Narcissa said, rising from her seat as well. "Why don't you sit down and we can relax. Talk or play chess."

"I'm tired" Ana insisted. "I'm going to bed." With that Ana left, moving quickly through the Common Room to the dormitory stairs. Glancing back, she caught a quick glimpse of Narcissa's face twisted in anger before it smoothed out once again. _Someone doesn't like being told no_ she thought smugly in her head. Not bothering to wait even five minutes, Ana cast a powerful invisibility spell on herself and promptly escaped the Slytherin Common Room.

Wondering through the darkening hallways of Hogwarts, she climbed staircase after staircase until she reached a small out of the way alcove with a large bay window. Canceling her invisibility spell now that she was far from the dungeons, she curled up next to the window. Closing her eyes, she relaxed as she felt the warm glow of the dying rays from the sun dance across her face. She wasn't sure how much time passed when she felt a presence draw near to her. Casting her magic out further; she relaxed when she recognized the magical signature.

"Well isn't that a beautiful sight" a male voice said smoothly.

Not even opening her eyes, Ana replied "Hogwarts does have spectacular views."

"I wasn't talking about the view outside the window" the voice replied, sitting opposite Ana.

Feeling a blush make it way to her cheeks, Ana smiled coyly at James.

"Why do you say things like that?" Ana said, tugging her hair nervously.

"Because it's true" James stated plainly, causing Ana's blush to deepen. "We haven't talked in a long time."

"I know" Ana sighed sadly; her smile rapidly turning into a frown.

"A bit busy with Black and her lot" James said awkwardly.

"Yeah" she replied, making sure he caught her watering eyes before glancing away. "They're great" she added, biting her lip hard.

"Somehow I'm not convinced" James said, leaning forward. Moving a lot closer, he slipped her legs over his so she was almost in his lap. Her breath hitching, she stared at him with glassy eyes. His large hands slide from her shoulders up slowly over her neck, to reach her cheekbones. His thumb glided softly over her cheeks before saying, "What's wrong? I can tell something's bothering you."

"I-It's just" Ana began, hiccupping softly as tears dripped from her eyes. "I don't…I don't"

"Hey" James said gently, tipping her head up so they were staring into each other's eyes. "Talk to me."

"I know I should be grateful and all. I mean nobody picks on me anymore" she began frowning deeply. "But Narcissa…I just feel like me doesn't matter, you know? I don't feel like me anymore. I feel like I'm being twisted and molded into one of her little minions. I just- I just"

"Go on" he prodded, "you don't have to hide anything from me. I'm not going to judge."

Suddenly breaking down into tears, she let herself be pulled into a tight hug by James; hiding her smug smile against his shoulder. "They e-even got rid of the last of my mother's robes. I know it was old and not the most stylish, but it was all I had left. I can't…I can't…" she said, her body shaking with fake sobs.

"Shhh" James said, rocking her back and forth soothingly.

"I just wish I could get away from them" she said, her voice muffled by his jumper. "Just getting this time away from them was a battle and I had to sneak out in the end." Pulling back slightly, James once again looked deeply into her pale green eyes. "What?" she questioned, wiping her face in a self conscious gesture. She watched him reach into her bag and pull out an old looking cloak. Her heart picking up speed once she realized what it was, she fought to keep the same lost and lonely expression she had perfected since her time at Hogwarts on her face.

"Here, I want you to have this" James said, pressing the cloak into Ana's arms.

"A cloak?" she said in a confused tone. "I don't understand."

"It's an invisibility cloak" he explained, "A family heirloom."

"I couldn't" she protested, shaking her head; seeing how it was the polite and expected thing to do.

"I want you to have it" he insisted, "At least until Black and her lot stop chasing you. It will allow you to get away from them time to time. Maybe come and visit me?"

"Thank you" she said, her voice full of emotion. Flinging herself into his arms; she made sure to rub herself slowly against his chest. "Of course I'll come see you. You're the only person I'm close to here."

The two parted ways after some time. Ana quickly stuffed the invisibility cloak into her robes, before re-casting her invisibility charm and making her way up to the Astronomy tower. Waiting for her as she entered was a deep black crow. Slipping the scroll of its neck, she read it contents.

_To the Lady of my Heart,_

_I am pleased to deliver the news that John Dawlish has been successfully dealt with along with his inane campaign. We have also ensured that the new person appointed to the position of Head of the DMLE is someone much more sympathetic to our cause. Infiltration of the Auror department is near completion, My Lady, and we are currently pursuing the Department of International Magical Cooperation. I assure you, ma'am; we are growing strong in numbers and magic. When the time comes, we will not let you down._

_Yours truly in every way,_

_Mr. X_

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**_Reviews?_**

**_Sephoria x_**


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